Unbroken
by Donderkind
Summary: Asuka and Shinji struggle to survive in the Post 3rd Impact wasteland. What went wrong? How did the boy who rose to become God plummet down so low? Asuka struggles to unlock his mind and prevent it all from happening again. Rating may change due to language.
1. Asuka on the Shore

**Disclaimer**: I think that it goes without saying that I don't own Evangelion. All parties agree that it's probably for the best.

Pre-fic notes: Well, with much apprehension and bad grammar I hereby launch my new fic on an unsuspecting World. I'm enjoying writing this one, though I'm a tad nervous about how it will be received. What was going to be a one chapter prologue kinda expanded into a four chapter prologue. It felt like it needed the space to get to grips with things before moving into the main body of the story and I didn't want to publish a first chapter that was tens of thousands of words long.

Anyway… Enough of my insecurities… Please enjoy!

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><p><strong>Unbroken<strong>

"_Progress: The process whereby the human race has got rid of whiskers, the vermiform appendix and God." _

_- H. L. Mencken, '__A Book of Burlesques_' (1916)

"_We solved all the problems  
>with bigger problems".<em>

_- OK GO, 'The Greatest Song I Ever Heard.'_(2011)

**Chapter One.**

**Asuka on the Shore**

The Dead Moon wore the bloody slash across its face like some kind of grotesque leer. The extremis of its sister, the Blue Earth, had permanently marked the celestial orb in the violence of its death throes.

Now that crimson stream had retreated from the moon and hung lazily in low orbit around the stricken planet. The fabric of the arc gibbered and chattered incontinently, but no spark of true intellect animated the billions of souls that had been mashed so brutally into it. Neither Destrudo nor Libido swirled within its blood stained depths.

From that altitude no sign of the life form that had so heedlessly wounded its host could be made out. But, coming in closer to the blighted surface a small figure could be seen picking its way gingerly through the rubble of a ruined city.

"Fuck!" Asuka said angrily as the pain of a sharp concrete fragment jabbed into her knee as she stumbled and fell on the rock-strewn roadway. "Just fucking brilliant!" She muttered as she staggered and fell yet again

The bright red suit _had_ been a marvel of 21st Century science. A non-permeable synthetic memory fabric that allowed maximum efficiency and enhanced synchronicity with the core of a gigantic bio-engineered robot and also had several life support functions built into a fully articulated and lightweight Plug Suit.

Sadly, as Asuka was discovering, it was almost useless for an extended hike into a ruined battle zone. Especially as the soles of her feet were only protected by a paper thin layer of synthetic rubber that offered no protection at all from sharp stones and rubble.

"Stupid fucking suit." She said bitterly as she wearily got back up onto her feet. She raised a bandaged arm to her knotted red hair and tried to push it away from her face. The hair, caked as it was with now dry LCL, refused to budge and remained irritatingly hanging in front of her good eye.

Now _that_ was a worry. Never mind how she had ended up on that beach alive but heavily bandaged when her last definite living memory was being torn to screaming shreds by the Mass Production Evangelions. She shook her head. Just how she was now alive to wander this shattered city was a question that she refused to address just yet.

What did worry her more than she would allow herself to admit was what lay _beneath_ those bandages. Her right arm was swathed from knuckle to shoulder in them, as was much of her torso. What really scared her was that her left eye had been covered with a thick gauze pad and yet more bandages around her head held it in place. She knew, how could she possibly have forgotten, that these were the exact same injuries that she had received in that final battle with the MP Evas. She touched the pad over her eye gingerly, wincing at the pain that lanced into her skull just with that mere contact.

She shook her head to clear her anxiety, there would be plenty of time for freaking out later. Now more important matters occupied her.

She picked her way towards the former centre of Tokyo-3. None of the buildings in this area had escaped the devastation of the multiple N2 mines that the JSSDF had deployed against the fortress city during the battle. Here and there one stood defiantly amidst the ruins, but even those had a mortally wounded look to them. As if they would crumble at the merest vibration or noise. Asuka decided that she could not risk exploring them just yet.

Behind her, the Sun began to rise in the East, giving the whole area a slightly lurid bloody cast. Not that it needed it. She thought grimly. It was gruesome enough already.

"_Red sky at Morning, Shepherd take Warning." _The old rhyme tolled randomly in her head. She ignored it and trudged her sense of direction was serving her correctly, the nearest access point to the Geo-Front should be coming up soon. Just past a pile of burnt out car bodies and an upside down Armoured Personnel Carrier she saw a sign attached to a fallen telephone pole pointing to Emergency Shelter H-74. Her pulse quickened and her feet picked up their pace. Just beyond that shelter should be one of the main access routes down to Central Dogma.

She squeezed herself past the burnt shell of the APC. "Shit." The collapsed remains of two buildings blocked her view of the entrance, but she still knew that she was in the right place. Ignoring the pain in her feet as she climbed the small hill of rubble she clambered her way up to the top of it, feeling sure that she would see some sign of NERV or the Geofront on the other side.

She got far more than she bargained for. Asuka fell to her knees. For a moment not even noticing the pain as the rubble cut through her plug suit and opened up fresh wounds in her lower legs.

An enormous crater yawned out in front of her as she crested the hill. At least two kilometres across and perhaps five hundred metres or more deep. No hope of access to the facilities contained below was remotely possible. She scrambled down the other side of the rubble and gingerly crawled as close to the edge as she dared and peered down into the remains of the Geofront.

Even in the pale early dawn light it was clear that the vast Geofront was dead. It wasn't just the grey lifeless wasteland that was the true indicator. Nor was it the ruin brought by the final battle, _Her_ final battle, against the forces of SEELE and the JSSDF.

No. The Geofront, with its smashed pyramid and battered warships lying bleakly in the dead landscape wasn't what really told the story of the final battle of Humanity. It was the smell. A rotten, but sickly sweet organic stench that convulsed her stomach and scarred her brain. Nothing meaningful was left alive down there, nothing could be, she just knew it.

Asuka's stomach convulsed and she retched and spat out some foul tasting bile into the chasm before inching away from the edge and back into the ruins of Tokyo-3. It seemed a fitting farewell to that place which had brought nothing but pain and ruin to her life.

The sun had finally risen on this first morning of the World. But it brought no warmth with it. Third Impact, it seemed, had wrought yet another cataclysmic shift in the Planet's balance as the perpetual summer of the Second Impact was finally brought to its end. Dark clouds gathered over the mountains and Asuka hugged her arms to her body in a vain attempt to ward off the deep chill in the air.

She was _so_ tired.

Following the trail of the nearby railway tracks she set off for her next destination. Home. Maybe, just maybe, she would find something there that they could use to help them survive. Who knew? Maybe the old apartment building would still be standing. Squashing down the voice in her head that told her it was hopeless she limped and staggered along the tracks. The train tracks appeared to be the one clear pathway within the ruined city. With the state of emergency and the JSSDF attacks near the End, there were no trains, or train wrecks along the way, and the noise barriers had been reasonably effective at stopping the debris from blocking the track ways. Maybe things were looking up after all? Maybe the part of town that they lived in had been spared the carnage.

Maybe even that stupid penguin was still there...

It took her the best part of an hour for her to reach the old apartment. She had ground her way along, ignoring the increasing chill of the air and the now icy wind that funnelled down the tracks in her hope that she would find something of her old life at the end. If the apartment was still there, then maybe they stood a chance of making it, maybe...

The death of that hope almost robbed Asuka of the will to go on.

The Apartment building had pancaked floor upon floor before cracking on the bones of the liftwell and collapsing outward onto the road in front of her. A small sob escaped her and a stray tear cut a clean path down her cheek.

Amongst the rubble closest to her a small glint of metal caught her eye in the shadows. Curiosity got the better of her and she went to the pile of broken masonry and crouched down to look inside. Amongst the twisted rebar and concrete shards a small battered golden cylinder lay catching what dull light the cloudy sky offered. Asuka reached down and took hold of it, turning it over in her hand. A small quiver trembled across her lips as she looked at the picture of the strange little man with the fish on the can. The brand name '_YEBISU, ALL MALT BEER_' was still legible on the front.

A prickling sensation was beginning in her uncovered eye as moisture formed unbidden in it and trickled slowly down her grimy cheek. A jumble of memories assailed her. Her guardian's morning yell of beer charged joy, Misato smiling at her across the table of that stupid Ramen stand after the 10th Angel… Somehow, through the hazy chaos of images that she knew must have come from Instrumentality she saw the woman lying by the NERV lift well with her lifeblood draining from her body.

Asuka wiped her bandaged hand across her eye, smearing the dirt and dried LCL over her cheek. The old familiar fire of anger building up in her chest. She cocked her good arm and threw the beer can angrily in the ruins of her former home, the can rupturing and spraying its contents into the air briefly before disappearing down amongst the rubble.

"God-damn it!" She yelled at the ruins. "What the_ fuck_ is this? Is this what we fought for? Is this what Misato died for? What Kaji died for? What the FUCK did you stupid old men do to my fucking World, you fucking _bastards_?" She screamed as she threw a rock back into the buildings skeleton in impotent fury. As she did a sharp pain tore across her body, doubling the girl over and causing her to stumble and collapse back onto her bloodied knees.

"Fu-Fuck..." She spat out between rasping breaths as her body felt like it was on fire from a dozen or more separate points of pain. Each one a searing reminder of the MP Evangelions and her defeat and living disembowelment at their hands.

Eventually the pain subsided to more bearable levels but the girl's breaths still hitched and gasped as she buried her head in her hands and gave in to the despair that had threatened to engulf her since she had woken on the beach what could have been hours, years or a lifetime ago.

More time passed.

Eventually the ever deepening chill in the air brought her back to herself and she painfully got back up onto her feet. "Get a grip, Soryu." She muttered to herself. Self pity was for the weak. It was for fools like Shinji, Misato or Dr Akagi. Not for her. She was better than that. Better than them.

Keep moving, that was the key to survival. She'd show them that she couldn't be broken.

Slowly, but more purposefully, she turned her back on her old home, her old life, and hobbled away from the ruins of Tokyo-3 and back to the beach from which she had come. Who knew, maybe the idiot would still be there.

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><p>Her first concrete memory <em>after<em> all of… whatever the fuck that whole Instrumentality thing was… had been of him on top of her, squeezing her throat painfully. Her lungs had screamed for air, her instincts yelled at her to fight back, but she couldn't. She had seen his pain. He had been at the heart of it all. Third Impact, Instrumentality, whatever the fuck they called it. All of the hurt he had suffered at his Father's hands, and at _her_ hands as well, she had seen it all. She couldn't lash out at him after seeing that. He had chosen to make this new World and if he had also chosen to eradicate her presence from it she would have welcomed the release.

She shuddered to think of how accepting of giving in to oblivion she had been right at that moment.

She had lifted her bandaged hand to gently stroke his cheek. That had been what had broken him it seemed. His grip on her neck had loosened and he had collapsed on top of her wracked by great sobs and hot tears that splashed onto her upturned face. She had closed her eye and let her hand fall back to her side as she lay there beneath him.

She remembered that she had felt completely disgusting.

Sometime later she had drifted back to consciousness with a sense of a great loss that had somehow befallen her. She opened her eye. The blackness of the firmament against the full moon and the red smear across the sky greeted her. She could no longer see Shinji.

Strangely it was that realisation that had filled her with the sense of loss.

She had lain there, staring upwards as the sound of the waves of… whatever that stuff was… lapped against the shoreline. The Universe had stood still for those moments, holding its breath it seemed for what would come after the trauma of Third Impact.

Gently, as if she was unsure if they would actually work, she levered herself up on her arms and awkwardly rolled into a kneeling position. There he was. Sitting about three metres away from where she was lying was Shinji. His back was to her and he seemed to just be staring out across the red sea in front of him at the huge and shattered visage of the being formerly known as Wondergirl that lay far out to sea.

"Shinji." She said. Her voice coming out as a hoarse croak.

He didn't move.

"Oi… Baka Shinji!" She said more forcefully, the effort hurting her parched throat.

Still no reaction.

Groaning in annoyance she crawled across the sand to where he sat and looked into his pale face. His eyes were empty pools of darkness, the blue irises unfocussed and slack. She held out her good hand to his cheek.

"Shinji?"

Not even a flicker of recognition.

"Come on Baka, snap out of it!" She said tapping him_ reasonably_ gently on the cheek.

The sound of the waves was her only answer. She was getting angry now. She shook him roughly by his shoulders, his head swaying back and forth like a doll. '_Like a fucking doll!'_

"For fuck's sake Third! Get your fucking head out of your ass and _look at me!_ Arrgh!"

She herself then hunched over as the pain from her injuries, still concealed by their bandages, lanced through her body and head. Asuka doubled over in agony on the sand in front of Shinji, cradling her head in her hands.

"S-Shit…" She gasped as she waited for the pain to subside.

Asuka finally struggled up to her feet, looking down on the unresponsive Third Child.

"Fine, idiot! Stay here if you want. Wallow in your pathetic self pity! I don't care!" She kicked him where he sat and stumbled away from him. "Fuck you _Third Child_!"

As she staggered up the beach she passed a lone piece of driftwood that had obviously been deliberately shoved vertically into the sand further up the shore. On a rusted nail near the top of the stake hung a very familiar plain silver Greek cross hanging on a thin leather necklace. It was the cross that Misato always wore. She looked more closely at the cross. Several small patches of dark red had been splashed across it and then dried out. They were unmistakeably dried blood.

The image of Misato's face, pale and drawn with blood coming from the corners of her mouth, flashed up in her mind. She knew that her guardian had died a violent and heroic death, Instrumentality had made sure that she wasn't spared the slightest detail, but seeing this memorial; This _Grave Marker _made it all too present and real. She turned away from the driftwood shrine and limped away from all it represented and back to what she had hoped was civilisation and medical care.

Sometime later, before she had reached the ruins of Tokyo-3, she realised that Shinji must have put that piece of driftwood up as his own personal memorial to his loss. That realisation hurt her. He had thought enough beyond himself to make a symbolic statement of loss and memory in his time here whereas she all she had achieved thus far was to yell at him and kick him in the hip.

"Damn bony hip too." She said to herself with a grimace. Her toes still throbbed painfully on her right foot from the contact. She decided that after she had explored, and maybe found some help, she would go back to him and maybe _even_ apologise for her earlier roughness.

Maybe.

"Well, he _did _try to strangle me!" She muttered to herself as she headed off in what she instinctively felt was the direction of Tokyo-3. The city that had been her home for the past year.

xxxx

The city that she knew for sure was now completely dead.

In the time that it took her to get back from Tokyo-3 to the Sea Shore she needed to figure out what the next move that she would have to make would be. It took but a little of her impressive intellect to figure out that shelter from the increasingly bitter wind and some kind of food were going to be high in her list of priorities. _'Thank you Mr State-the-fucking-obvious Maslow!' _She thought bitterly.

Heading back as she was from where the ruins of their old apartment lay, she passed through more open country than she had on the way to the city. This had obviously been productive farmland once, though now the land looked wounded and over grown with weeds and ruin.

For the first time that day she actually wondered, _'Just how long has it been since anyone actually lived here?'_

Everything around her looked like it had been abandoned for what could be months or even years. What on Earth had actually happened here? How long had she been gone for?

'_Can't answer that right now'_ She thought as she limped onward. She had more important things to worry about. With that in mind she paid closer attention to her surroundings than she had on the way out.

Eventually she spotted something that looked promising. Off to the side of the dirt track she had been walking along, a couple of hundred metres or so from where she stood, a small cluster of buildings sat huddled together amongst the overgrown fields.

She could feel her pulse quicken. A farmhouse! That was exactly what she needed. It was far enough away from the City so that damage should have been minimal, and she knew that farms tended to be more self sufficient than town or city houses, so it offered them the best chance of survival.

Excitedly she half walked, half ran down the track that led to the small house. As she got closer she saw that even here the last battle had left some scars. Many of the house's windows were broken in and there was a lot of debris around it, but from the outside it seemed structurally sound. She walked around the house, inspecting it and feeling like a prospective buyer.

"Hmmm, A little run down but a renovator's delight, I'm sure." Feeling a little giddy from her exertions she continued. "Lots of potential, not a bad entry level property for a young couple looking to get into the local real estate market." _'Asuka, you've finally lost your marbles.' _She thought to herself.

As she rounded the back of the cabin she stopped in her tracks. It had an external water tank! And a chimney. There was even a pile of firewood stacked against the side of the house next to the back door. "Sold!" She cried out loud, laughing to herself. The first time laughter had been heard in that dead World.

Even better some of the windows on this side of the house were intact. That was it, she had found it. She came back around to the front of the building and climbed the steps to the front door, thankfully it was hanging open, the bottom hinge having given way some time ago. She pushed it aside and went in. it was quite dark inside and had a musty, dank smell, but for the first time since she had left the beach she was out of that biting cold wind.

There were only a couple of rooms in the cottage, and very sparse furnishings. A kind of kitchen/living/dining room in the centre of the building, with an open fireplace. A single bedroom, with a threadbare old futon on the floor and two broken windows. And most glorious of all, a _bathroom_ with an old freestanding iron tub.

Her mood quickly dropped though as she caught sight of her own reflection in the bathroom mirror. A dirty, dishevelled, sunken cheeked girl looked back at her. Her head and left eye wrapped in filthy bandages and her red hair stiff and unruly, caked with dry LCL.

She poked again gently at the pad over her eye. The pain as she did so was instant and excruciating. She _was_ tempted to peel it off and look underneath the bandages. But she knew that she wasn't ready for that just yet. The time for that would come all too soon.

But not yet. First she had to go and get Shinji. If he was still even there.

Leaving the house, with its outbuildings still unexplored, she set back off to the road and back to the shore where this nightmare had all begun.

She found him exactly as she had left him. Hunched over, sitting on the rough sand of the beach, staring blankly out over the red sea. She crouched down in front of him. His eyes were still the same. Dull, devoid of life, unfocussed. Only the shallow rise and fall of his chest and the occasional involuntary blink or shiver gave any sign that he was actually alive.

"Hey, Shinji." She said gently. "I-I know that I shouldn't have yelled at you or kicked you. Even though you _do _have a bony ass!" No reply.

"So… Let's start this whole this afresh huh? You forget that I kicked you and I'll forget the whole choking thing… You know… let bygones be bygones and all of that? Hmm… savvy?"

Still no response. She held a hand up to his face. His skin felt warm to touch and she could still see the rise and fall of his chest to prove that he was still alive.

The wind felt like ice against her own exposed skin, and the plugsuit did almost nothing to stop it either.

"Come on Shinji! We need to get off this stupid creepy beach before we die from exposure!" Nothing. "I've found us a place, it's only a couple of miles from here! It's not much, but I think you'll like it!"

He blinked and continued his unfocussed stare through her.

"Oh, for fuck's sakes Third Child!" She yelled harshly. "Stop being so fucking pathetic! We need to get to shelter, now! We don't have time for this shit! You can sit around feeling sorry for yourself when we're out of the cold and somewhere safe!"

Still he gave no indication of having heard her or even being aware of her presence. Feeling her anguish and frustration building up to unbearable levels she lashed out angrily with her right hand and struck him forcefully across the face.

"Arrrrrgh! Shit!" She screamed as her whole right arm lit up with unbelievable pain. She collapsed onto the sand in front of Shinji gasping and clutching her arm in agony as it felt as if it was being torn in two. Again.

Finally, mercifully, the exquisite agony of her right arm died down to the point where it was bearable. She looked up at Shinji from where she lay on the sand. He still sat there unmoved. Only a livid red hand mark on his left cheek giving any sign that she had even touched him.

"Well, shit." Asuka gasped getting painfully up onto her feet. "I won't be doing_ that_ again!"

Feeling the icy wind picking up strength and looking at the way the sky was darkening with threatening clouds she felt that it was time to get off this godforsaken shore and get to the shelter of the old cabin. Seeing there was nothing else for it she hooked her good hand under Shinji's shoulder and heaved. Surprisingly he rose to his feet with far less effort than she had feared it would take.

She looked at him suspiciously. His eyes were still flat and dull, no sign of the old Shinji there.

Feeling a little self conscious she grabbed hold of his hand in hers. "You'd better not be faking this Ikari!" She said threateningly.

The answer that she didn't expect didn't come.

"Come on then." She said, dragging him none too gently up the shore and away from the beach.

Quickly she noticed that as long as she kept pressure on his hand and kept moving he trailed along obediently behind her, but if she let go or stopped he would simply stop moving as if it was only her will that animated him at all. She found this deeply troubling, but at the moment she was also just grateful for the small mercy of being able to get them off that horrible shore and moving.

She was very keen to leave that place and its horrors behind her and onto the next stage in her life on this cold desolate landscape. Whatever that might be.

* * *

><p>By the time they reached the small farmhouse the sky overhead had grown dark and threatening and the wind had picked up to almost gale force. Her face and ears ached from the cold bite of the air and she could see Shinji's lips had turned a pale shade of blue from the chill.<p>

None too gently she dragged him up the steps and into the cabin and out of the wind.

"Well, what do you think, Third? It's not much, but it's home!"

Shinji gave no response or sign that he thought anything about the small cabin.

"I knew you'd like it." Asuka said with false cheeriness.

Leaving him standing in the middle of the main room she managed to force open the back door and went back out into the icy wind to gather up some wood for the fireplace. It wasn't easy, as holding anything more than a couple of small logs caused her immediate and intense pain from her arm and torso. After several trips she had a small pile of logs in the grate and several more stacked by the fireplace to last them for a while.

Scrounging through the kitchen she managed to find a couple of old books of matches and a small bottle of what smelled like kerosene. Liberally dousing the smaller bits of wood with the liquid she finally managed to get one of the matches to light and soon had a small but successful fire underway in the fireplace.

"There." She said in a satisfied voice to Shinji. "Not bad if I do say so myself! I am Asuka Langley Soryu, Fire-Bringer!" She said with a flourish.

Shinji remained standing where she had left him, showing not the least recognition of her or of her fire.

"Hmph!" She said. "Well it's more than you've done!"

The next priority for her was gathering up as many large pots and pans as she could find in the cabin and filling them with the rusty tasting water that came into the building from its outside water tank. Over the next while she heated up as much of this water as she could and ferried it across to the freestanding bath. Eventually she had it filled just over halfway with warm water and decided that was probably as much as she could afford to use.

While this was going on she had searched the house more fully and found candles, blankets, towels and a cupboard full of mothball smelling clothing. Most of it was worn and patched looking, as she would have expected to find in an old farm building like this. Obviously this hadn't been a hugely productive or profitable farm in its day. At that stage, she didn't care. Being able to get out of that plugsuit was her number one priority at that moment.

Outside it was growing darker and the old cabin rattled and banged in the growing storm that was brewing out there. None too gently she pushed Shinji back into one of the armchairs near the fire.

"Sit. Wait." She ordered him. "I'm gonna be a while."

Setting up a couple of candles in the small bathroom she looked nervously at the bandaged face in the mirror. She sighed to herself. "Best do this while the water is still warm…" she stripped off the filthy red plugsuit and threw it to the bathroom floor with a certain amount of revulsion, leaving herself standing completely naked except for her bandages.

She started with her arm. Carefully she began unwrapping the bandages, starting from her right knuckle and working up to her shoulder. Even in the cold she could feel the sweat prickling on her brow from the tension.

There it was. Beginning between her 2nd and 3rd knuckles was a livid red scar. She bit her lip painfully at the sight, but didn't stop removing the bandage. Rapidly more of the scar was being revealed. It didn't seem real. It was almost like someone had used a dark red marker to draw a straight line on both sides of her arm, from her hand all the way up to her shoulder. It was too neat, too perfectly straight. She ran her other hand along it. The scar was slightly raised and tender to the touch, but the flesh underneath it was whole.

Asuka shuddered at the memory of that very same arm splitting in two during that final battle. How it was whole at all was beyond her ability to comprehend.

Moving more quickly she removed the wrapping from around her torso. Here also were more red scars scattered across her abdomen and chest. This time they looked more like healed puncture wounds. She counted seven of them. Turning her back to the mirror she gasped to see seven corresponding red exit wounds dotting her pale and bare back.

"Oh… fuck…" she exhaled.

Her body was now completely uncovered. There was only one bandage left to remove.

She stared unblinkingly with her good eye as she gingerly unwrapped the bandage from around her forehead. Her hair had been pressed flat against her head by the bandage so that when it was removed it combined with her wild LCL encrusted hair to give her a wild and unhinged look.

All that was left was the gauze pad that had somehow been taped in place. She looked away from the mirror as she gently pulled the tape away from her skin and removed the pad from over her left eye. Closing her other eye and taking a deep breath she then forced both of them open again.

Her left eye stung and watered as it opened, but she breathed a massive sigh of relief as she knew that she could definitely still see through it. It was a little blurry due to being held shut for so long but it otherwise moved and focussed in unison with her right eye perfectly.

"Alright…" She said. "Time to check out the damage."

Turning back to face the mirror she examined the face of the wild haired girl in it closely. The injury to her eye was less dramatic than those on rest of her body, but it just as telling. A small scar ran from above her eyebrow down over her upper eyelid and down her lower lid for about three centimetres or so. Corresponding with those scars was a bloody red line in the white of her left eye that became a much darker line that split the still vivid blue of her iris perfectly down the centre.

Leaning her hands on the cold basin she rested her head against the mirror breathing deeply. It was both better and far worse than she had imagined. The relief at actually having an eye underneath that bandage that she could actually _see _out of was enormous, but… she couldn't escape the fact that she had been disfigured. Asuka Langley Soryu. The top Evangelion Pilot and one of most beautiful and popular girls in her school was a scarred and damaged nobody in a dead and indifferent World.

She stood like that for several minutes. Silently letting the tears stream down her face and spatter on the dirty vanity unit before her naked body's uncontrollable shivering brought back to herself.

"Ikuhayo Asuka… That bath isn't getting any hotter."

Strangely, the bath had not been any comfort to her. The dried LCL had taken a lot of scrubbing and effort to get off her skin and hair as the rusty tank water seemed to be impossible to get any kind of lather up in. But eventually she felt that she had cleaned all of the offensive smelling gunk off her body.

Lying there, naked and alone in a shallow bath full of what was now copper-coloured tepid water had brought back some of the still raw memories of her lowest ebb in the pre-Impact World.

Dragging her tired and aching body out of the tub she quickly dried off with one of the stiff and scratchy towels before wrapping it around her head and getting into the t-shirt, old cargo pants and hoodie that she had scavenged out of the cupboards. They were all a little too large for her, but after spending untold hours in that filthy and ragged Plug Suit, they felt almost luxurious against her newly scrubbed and sensitive skin.

Out in the living room Shinji was exactly where she had left him.

"Hey Baka! What do you think of my new ensemble?" She asked him as she twirled and posed in front of him suggestively. "It's the latest thing from the catwalks of Milan!"

Shinji remained silent, his fixed thousand-yard stare unwavering.

"Bah! What would you know anyway?" She said testily. "It's the end of civilisation as we know it and you're still in that stupid school uniform for fuck's sake!"

Annoyingly for Asuka, Shinji remained unmoved by her attack on his fashion sense.

"Hmph… Baka!" She retorted. This was getting her nowhere. Not to mention that she was _so_ bone weary that she felt that just collapsing on the floor in the middle of the room was both an appealing and genuinely viable option. Despite this urge she forced her aching and tired body to the bedroom and dragged the futon grunting and heaving into the living room, roughly throwing it down in front of the fireplace.

Stoking up the fire with more logs and arranging the blankets and some cushions from the couch on the futon she stripped off down to the t-shirt, which was thankfully long enough to cover her otherwise bare body down to her thighs, she gratefully crawled under the covers and attempted to get herself comfortable.

"Don't you even _think_ of trying to get in here with me, Third!" She said warningly. "If you try _anything_ I promise that I _will_ hurt you."

Shinji sat still as a statue on the armchair. Only the white of his shirt and the firelight reflecting off his open eyes in the darkness showing that he was even still there.

"Baka…" She muttered tiredly as she settled under the blankets.

Despite her weariness she found it impossible to get to sleep. The wind howled angrily outside the small cabin and the shutters creaked and rattled against it. Her arm and body ached and throbbed almost unbearably as she lay there. Each stab of pain reminding her of the brutality of her defeat at the hands of the Eva Series. Whenever she closed her eyes she could see their leering, eyeless faces. Their bright teeth and bloody red lips ripping at her, violating her. She tossed and turned and tried to chase the awful memories away, but they were always waiting, just behind her closed eyelids, to torture and torment her with her complete failure in what had been her final battle.

Each time she opened her eyes again she could see Shinji, still sitting there unmoved by her apparent suffering.

Finally she could take it no longer. "Shit!" She snarled, throwing back the blankets and getting to her feet.

"Come on then, idiot." She said to Shinji, pulling him roughly by the arm. With little effort she pushed him towards the futon and forced him to lie down on the side away from the fire. She then huddled back down on the mattress and arranged the blankets over them both.

"I'm only doing this for the warmth, Third Child." Asuka said as she got comfortable again. "Just promise you won't go all 'hospital ward room' on me… pervert."

He offered no reply as he lay there staring at the cracked ceiling of the cabin.

"I can't _believe_ I'm _here_, doing _this_!" Asuka whispered to herself.

Despite her misgivings, no more nightmares troubled the exhausted girl as she slept into the night and well into the next morning.

**End Chapter One.**

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><p>I hope you enjoy this. Either way, <span>please<span> review. As I think my other story showed, I kinda suck at self editing. So please review, it's the only way I'll learn! :)

Cheers!

Donderkind


	2. Persistence of Being

Disclaimer:I Don't own it! Anno san does!

* * *

><p><strong>Unbroken<strong>

**Chapter 2: **

**Persistence of Being**

Even though the wind had died down to nothing overnight, the cold air still bit at her bare cheeks and made her eyes sting and water.

The dawn had long since passed by the time she had awoken and the feeble daylight had lit the interior of the cabin drearily. She had disentangled herself from the prone Third Child and got out of bed.

After stoking up the fire and getting herself dressed she had explored the cupboards in the tiny kitchen. She avoided the chunky old refrigerator, God only knew what mouldy horrors lurked in that thing after so long without power. Fresh food was definitely going to be a luxury for the time being.

Luckily there was a large stock of instant and canned food in the kitchen, so starvation was less of an imminent threat than she had feared it would be. Though the thought of living on such fare was less than thrilling to the German girl.

"Oh well, I guess if Misato managed to survive on this shit for nearly thirty years, we should do okay."

She chose a couple of tins of beans and poured them into a small pot. Padding back into the main room she placed the pot over the fire and set it heating.

"Come on lunkhead!" She said to Shinji as she dragged him out of bed. "Today is your lucky day! I'm making you breakfast!"

She led Shinji into the kitchen and sat him down at the small table there. She set two bowls and spoons down on the table and went back to the fire, returning minutes later with the steaming pot in her hands.

After serving up the meagre breakfast she sat down opposite the boy.

"Eat up Blunder boy!" She said.

Shinji just continued to stare into nothingness.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" She said in annoyance. "Eat it Baka! I'm not gonna feed your lazy ass!"

Still he failed to move or acknowledge her.

"For the love of Vishnu!" She exclaimed, pushing her chair back roughly so that it fell over with a bang. She stomped over to his side if the table, shoved a spoon into his hand and guided it into the bowl, scooped up a spoonful of beans and brought it up to his mouth. To her surprise and relief he opened up and took the food into it. Chewing mechanically before finally swallowing. She let go of his hand and the spoon again lowered into the bowl and brought up more beans and repeated the procedure.

"Shinji?" Asuka said in surprise, looking at him. His face still showed no sign of recognition for what he was doing, but his hand moved up and down mechanically, quickly finishing the contents of the bowl. Now the spoon was still moving up and down as before, but no food was being brought up to his face. She grabbed his hand in mid motion, pulled the spoon out of it.

"Enough Shinji. You can stop now." The boy stopped his movements and returned to sitting there as before.

"Well, I guess that's a small mercy," She said to herself. "I wasn't keen on having to spoon-feed you until the rest of the World catches up with us!"

His vacant stare was her only reply.

She sat back down and began to eat her own bowl of food. As she ate she realised just how hungry she actually was. The meagre fare before her felt like just about the most delicious thing that she had ever tasted. Before she knew it, the bowl was empty. She pushed the bowl away from her. Despite the food in her belly, she still felt empty inside. With her hunger sated, she figured could finally try and make sense of the situation that she found herself in.

The whole Instrumentality thing… That had been a total Mind-fuck for sure. She had seen her own existence, and that of those around her from every perspective at once. It had been a livid, excoriating experience as all of her mental and emotional barriers had been ripped away and the Asuka Langley Soryu that she felt she was had been brutally meshed with the Asuka Langley Soryu the rest of the World knew.

She shuddered at the memory. It had been like being ripped bloody and raw all over again, only to have your closest friends and loved ones come and stick their hands in the gaping wounds and proceed to pry them open even further.

And then… Then she had woken up on that beach, with Shinji choking her while weeping inconsolably on top of her. At that moment, she had only felt resignation. She had seen in Instrumentality how he had suffered. How much they were the same. She had wanted him to know that. To understand.

To know that she understood his pain now. That it was okay. That was why she had touched his face. The last thing that she remembered from that moment was her own puzzlement at being alive while the boy wept inconsolably on top of her.

Then, when she had awoken again. He was like this. She would have rather him try to kill her again than be this. An empty shell, hollow and unresponsive.

She looked at his face searchingly. "Are you still in there Shinji? Please talk to me… I don't think that I can do this by myself… Shinji, please…"

Unexpectedly she could feel the small prickling of tears forming in her eyes. "Come on, I know you must be able to hear me." She reached across the table and held his hands in her own. "I don't care about the past, I don't care that you couldn't save me from… from the Eva Series. I don't even care about what you did in the Hospital." She pleaded with him. "Just come back Shinji. I need you… don't leave me alone again, don't abandon me!" She sniffed.

The silence that engulfed the World became even more oppressive.

Asuka fought it, but she could feel the old her welling up inside her chest. The angry bitter girl that she was once had not been killed off completely by Third Impact. She hadn't been destroyed by the teeth and claws of Evangelions 05 -13 to rise phoenix like on the dead Shore. She had thought that the old Asuka was rotting unmourned in the depths of the Geo-Front. She now realised that part of her was very much alive and crying out for attention. Her despair made it easy to give in to it.

"Fine!" She yelled, lashing out at him with her open hand and slapping him forcefully across the face. "Ignore me, abandon me! _Everyone_ else fucking well has! But get this, I won't give in! You understand me _Third Child_?" She spat out angrily. "I'm not gonna be beaten by this. You can give in if you want! It's what you're _good _at after all, but I'm better than this! I'm Asuka Langley-Fucking-Soryu! I will not be beaten! You hear me?"

Shinji remained unmoved by her outburst. Only a red mark on his cheek and the painful throbbing of her own hand remained as recognition of her rage.

"Shit!" She screamed in anguish. "I can't fucking take this!" She threw the chair aside and stomped out of the room. She grabbed one of the blankets off the floor and wrapped it around her shoulders and stormed out of the cabin.

So there she was, standing out in the cold with the still air biting at her face and eyes. The rage within her had withered as quickly as it had risen, leaving her feeling drained and empty. She needed to get a grip if she was going to survive this nightmare. Useless displays of anger were futile and unhelpful.

She huffed a warm breath into her hands to try and ward off the chill.

The sky above was still dark with cloud, making what light there was from the hidden sun pale and weak. She noticed with some alarm that the earth had been covered with a thick layer of snow overnight that crunched under her feet as she walked away from the cabin towards the small huddle of outbuildings attached to the farm.

The first one had a small door with small panes of frosted glass in the top half. She tried the handle, but it was locked. Searching around her she found a fist sized rock and used it to smash the glass closest to the handle. She then carefully reached though and unlocked the door from that side and let herself in.

Inside the small lined shed it was surprisingly cosy. It had obviously been some kind of workshop as the walls were lined with hand tools and a couple of axes as well as a small bench with an engineers vise bolted to it. She was drawn to the far end of the shed where an old tarpaulin covered a large pile of items.

She pulled the tarpaulin aside and surveyed the various sized crates that were beneath it. All of them were padlocked so she searched around for the keys. After twenty minutes of increasingly frustrating searching she found a hidden compartment underneath the workbench. Much to her relief there was a large ring of keys secreted within it.

The third key that she tried opened the largest of the crates. Inside were a dozen or so thick blankets, some dehydrated military style ration packs and emergency flares. She grinned despite herself. Obviously the previous occupant of this farm had been some kind of survivalist. The post Second Impact World had been full of them, even in Japan. People who had seen how Civilisation had crumbled in the years following the disaster and had prepared themselves for it happening again.

"Thank you Mister Nut-Job." She said happily looking at the contents of the crate.

At the bottom of the crate, hidden under the blankets was a long, narrow box that took up nearly the whole length of the larger crate. She lifted it out of the crate, grunting at the unexpected weight of it. No matter which key she tried nothing was able to fit into and unlock this box. She set it aside for later investigation.

The next crate contained several Hurricane lanterns as well as a couple of heavy torches and batteries, as well as a pile of hessian sacks that she assumed were for sandbags. Another contained various items of clothing that looked like they had been gathered from a hundred different Op-Shops. Much of it was far too large for her, but there were a couple of real finds amongst them. Including a faded grey duffel coat that she immediately put on over her clothing. The heavy material helped her to feel warmer almost instantly.

The last crate was a battered, dark green, metal one. There was some kind of writing on the top in English and also a writing that she couldn't understand. What did pique her interest was a series of numbers across seeming to indicate that this had been an ammunition box.

Fumbling through the keys she managed to find the one that opened the lock. Excitedly she threw open the lid and gasped in amazement.

She had been right, the interior of the crate glittered dully with the hundreds of brass cartridges, each ending in a long pointed bullet, that filled the box almost to the top. Several speed loading stripper clips lay on the very top, each with five rounds neatly loaded into them, a small container to the side contained a dozen or so more empty clips.

Also in this container was a single brass key. That might just answer the question of what was in the long narrow box she had found earlier! Excitedly she grabbed it and tried it on the box. She almost squealed with delight as the lock clicked and turned smoothly.

Flipping up the latch she wasted no time in opening the box and looking at what lay inside.

"Holy crap!" She gasped in disbelief. "It's a fucking _antique_!"

Inside the box lay an old bolt-action rifle. It's barrel almost entirely encased in dark wood ending at a kind of snub nosed sight at one end and the butt of the rifle had a brass shoulder plate at the other. In front of the trigger guard an angled detachable magazine protruded. A webbing strap hung from swivels at the front and back of it for ease of carrying.

Also in the box was a long knife. It had to be well over a foot long. Picking it up she realised it was actually a bayonet, and obviously went with the rifle in the box. She placed the knife to one side and picked up the rifle. She was surprised at just how heavy it was. She worked the bolt back and forth, the action was smooth and quick, obviously the previous owner had maintained the old weapon well.

"Just how old is this thing anyway?"

There was some faded lettering stamped into the metal near the back of the bolt. She squinted in the dim light of the shed as she tried to read it. She could make out a crown at the top, with G R stamped beneath it. Below that was stamped:

BSA Co

1917

SHT. L.E.

III *

"1917!" Asuka exclaimed. "This things nearly a hundred fucking years old!"

Asuka had been trained in most kinds of weapons, so even though it was ancient, it was fairly easy for her to grasp its operation. She grabbed two of the stripper clips and pulled back the bolt on the firearm, deftly loading them into the magazine and pushing the bolt back into the receiver and effectively making it 'live'. She then stood up and slung the rifle over her shoulder before turning and exiting the shed, shutting the door behind her.

The cold air hit her immediately, almost driving the air from her lungs. She pulled the collar of the duffel coat up around her ears and tried her best to ignore it.

"Right… Let's see if this relic actually works!" She said out loud. The words disappearing immediately into the frigid air.

She looked around, eventually spotting and old 44 gallon drum lying in a pile of debris and refuse about 80 metres away towards the road. She dialled in the distance and braced the rifle against her right shoulder, clearing her mind of everything else as she let out a slow controlled breath and squeezed the trigger.

_***BOOM!**__*****_

The kick of the rifle caught her a little by surprise, and did nothing to improve the searing pain in her arm and shoulder. The noise was even more terrific. She was well trained in firearms, far more than the other two Children had been, but that had been in the controlled environment of firing ranges with ear muffs and modern weapons. This was much different. The sound of the old gun echoed endlessly around the hills around her, making her feel exposed and vulnerable. She cycled the bolt, ejecting the spent cartridge and reloading a fresh round into the chamber. If anything out there had heard the noise, she wanted to be ready for it.

She walked closer to the drum, she smiled to herself to see that she had been dead on target.

"I've still got it!" She exclaimed, rubbing her still aching shoulder.

Feeling just that little bit less vulnerable, she slung the old rifle over her shoulder and headed back to explore the other outbuildings on the property.

The smaller of the two remaining sheds was stacked high with split firewood that looked like it had been gathered from deadfall from a large area. Apart from a couple of vile smelling empty 44-Gallon drums there was nothing else of interest in there.

All that remained to explore was the larger curved roofed one. It had the look of an old Nissen Hut, as incongruous as that seemed in 21st Century Japan, and had a pair of wide heavy wooden doors at one end with a rusty old padlock sealing them shut.

None of the keys she had even fit in the ancient padlock, so she trudged back to the first building , plucked a large pair of bolt cutters off the wall and went back to the locked doors. After perhaps 15 minutes of increasingly frustrating and profanity riddled mangling of the lock it finally disintegrated and fell to the snowy ground with a thud.

"Halle-fucking-lujah!" Asuka snarled in relief, heaving the heavy doors open and looking inside.

Inside the dim shed the dusty outline of an old white van could be made out. She let out a large breath in wonder at it. It was the first vehicle that she had seen in any sort of halfway salvageable condition since Third Impact. Unslinging the rifle and leaning it against the wall she walked around to the drivers side of the van. The door creaked and protested as she opened it and looked inside.

It was dirty and the seats were ripped and covered in filth, but everything that needed to be there seemed to be there. She climbed into the van and sat in the driver's seat. The Column Shift felt a little crappy, and the amount of play in the steering was remarkable, but Asuka felt that she could make it work. Flipping the visor down a set of rusty keys fell into her lap.

"Bingo!" She exclaimed. "Things are definitely looking up!" She inserted the key into the ignition and pumped the throttle as she turned it.

_**Click**_

Then nothing.

"Oh you are fucking _joking_ me!"

She turned the key again.

_**Click**_

"Come on you stupid piece of shit!" She yelled at it. "Just fucking start!"

The van stubbornly refused to obey her. She pounded her fists on the steering wheel.

"Start, God Damn it! _Start_, you Japanese pile of shit! Is that too much to fucking well ask? Just one thing to go right in this stupid miserable shit-heap of a World?" Tears of frustration and rage were starting to forming in her eyes, stinging fiercely in her injured eye socket.

"Aaaaaaargh!" Asuka screamed at the top of her lungs, making her throat raw and echoing hollowly in the old shed. She leapt out of the van and began to kick at its faded panels and pummelling the drivers side door with her fists until they began to bleed. Her curses in time with the rhythm of her attack on the ancient vehicle.

Slowly the throbbing pain in her knuckles began to work its way into her consciousness and her screaming and pummelling slowed to a halt. She collapsed against the side of the van and just lay there, propped up against the cold metal of it, her breathing coming in ragged gasps.

She looked at her hands, noting the blood that now covered them, her own from her childish temper tantrum. Her right hand was really beginning to hurt now that she had stopped abusing it. The scar looked darker and more angry than it had and the pain ran the length of it and up into her shoulder.

"Well, that achieved a lot." She said sardonically to herself.

She climbed wearily to her feet and explored the old shed further. Several more 44 gallon drums took up the rest of the space inside. Some were empty, but at least four or five sounded full when she tapped them. Hoping against hope the unscrewed the small cap on one of them and smelled the contents. The sickly smell of petroleum greeted her nostrils, forcing her to gag and retch painfully. Still she smiled to herself. It was a small price to pay.

"Finally, something is going my way!" She muttered. With the stock of petrol in there she just needed a way to get the old van moving and suddenly prospects of survival were looking far better than they had.

She wracked her brain. If she could just get it moving then just maybe there was some hope of a roll start. The only problem being that she didn't think in her weakened and injured state that she would have the strength to push the van out of the shed, let alone get it moving fast enough to get it started.

"Come on Soryu, think!... If only Stupid Shinji mentally wasn't out to lunch _he_ could help me get this old heap of shit moving! Unless…" A thought struck her.

Within just a few short minutes she had the Third Child rugged up and she dragged him out to the outbuilding. She positioned him at the back of the vehicle, with his arms braced on the tailgate. Asuka took up position on the right hand side of the van, just next to the open driver's door. She reached in and turned the key to the 'On' position.

"Okay Shinji!" She yelled out as she released the handbrake. "Let's roll!"

She set her shoulder to the door and pushed with all of her might. "Gnnnaaaarrrrgh!" She grunted at the exertion. "Come on Baka_, Push_!"

At first there was frustratingly little movement, but slowly the wheels began to move and the van rolled towards the door of the shed. It picked up more speed as it crossed the threshold and crunched across the icy gravel in front of the outbuildings. She looked back to see that Shinji was still moving with the van, his hands propped against the back of it. She had hoped that seeing as he seemed to just do things until made to stop, maybe if she could get him leaning against the van, and get it moving just a little bit, the momentum would just keep him walking and therefore helping her push the vehicle along. She was almost amazed that it actually seemed to be working!

Almost giddy with the thrill of actually making something happen for once in this unnaturally quiet World, Asuka began to laugh out loud at the sheer lunacy of the spectacle they must present, if there were any person alive to actually see it.

Pulling the steering wheel around to aim the van down the long driveway of the property, she increased her running pace further and deftly grabbed hold of the handle and swung herself into the driver's seat and slammed the door shut after her.

"Here goes nothing!" She yelled as she depressed the clutch pedal and manhandled the column shifter into second gear.

Immediately the van lurched and coughed, throwing her painfully into the steering wheel and adding bruised ribs to her growing catalogue of injuries. After a couple more violent jerks and lurches the old engine spat and spluttered into life. Quickly she pumped the throttle pedal in a desperate attempt to keep the neglected old engine running.

The old van backfired and coughed noisily, but somehow it didn't die, and before she knew it she was all the way down to the main road that ran past their new home.

"Yeeehah!" She screamed. "Take that World! You haven't beaten me yet! Not by a long chalk!"

She eased the van past the gate and turned it around to go back towards the cabin and out buildings. As she headed back up the drive she came to a frightening realisation.

"Oh fuck! Shinji!" The Third Child was nowhere to be seen. He slowed the van down and looked desperately left and right to see if she could see any sign of him. "Nothing… Nothing… _Come on Baka_! There!"

A patch of black in amongst the snow and rank weeds and thistles that grew stubbornly on the blighted land caught her attention. The van skidded to a halt and she pulled on the hand brake and leapt out. Sure enough, there was Shinji, face down in the weeds and snow just off the drive. Obviously he had parted company with the accelerating van as the engine has finally come to life and kind of stumbled blindly off the path and fallen amongst the scrub and brush that still clung to life there.

She quickly hauled him up onto his feet and surveyed him for damage. His black pants were torn and soaked through. His white shirt was filthy with mud and had several gaping rents in it. An angry bloody graze covered his left cheek and his hair was covered in dirt and snow.

"Jesus Shinji!" She said in amazement. "You look like crap!"

Shinji, as usual, said nothing.

She grabbed his hand and roughly pushed him into the passenger seat of the van. "You know, Third Child, this whole 'Strong Silent' thing is starting to get _really_ old"

She jumped into the other seat and drove the last hundred metres or so back to the cabin. Leaving the engine running in the hope of charging the van's battery she got Shinji out of the seat and took him back inside.

Even in the dim light from the windows he looked pretty beaten up. She sighed to herself as she realised that there was no way that she could leave him like this. He looked like he had gone three rounds with Zeruel and he was beginning to shiver violently in his wet clothes.

"Oh, fuck no!" Asuka muttered as she realised what she was going to have to do. She scouted around for as many metal pots as she could fit onto the fire, filled them with the rusty water from the tank and placed them over the fire.

Next, and most galling for her, she carefully stripped off Shinji's wet clothing. She made a real effort no to look at his body as she wrapped a thick blanket around him and set him to warm up in front of the fire.

He looked so pale and lost sitting huddled on the hearth. A part of her did felt pity for him. Wanted to hold him, comfort him from the pain she knew that he had endured. The mighty Third Child brought so low by a World made in his own image. She shook her head. No. She couldn't afford weaknesses like pity any more. She was Asuka Langley Soryu. She had survived where the rest of humanity had not. Pity and sorrow were not luxuries that she could afford to indulge in. After a little longer she went back outside and parked the van in the old shed. The battery should be charged enough by now, and anyway, no point in wasting precious petrol.

She came back inside. Shinji still sat shivering on the floor in front of the fireplace.

"The invincible Third Child, huh?" She said mockingly at the mute boy. "Kind of pathetic really."

Eventually the water was hot enough to transfer to the old bathtub, she hadn't drained out the water from the previous night, so soon the tub was filled with rather cloudy looking warm water.

"Okay, Shinji, you're coming with me!" She said rolling up her sleeves and dragging the boy roughly from his spot in front of the fireplace and across to the bathroom.

"I fucking cannot _believe_ that I have to do this!" She stood there looking at him, still shivering and with only a blanket wrapped around him, she hesitated for a moment. "Okay Asuka, you can do this… Just make it quick… like a band-aid… "

She pulled the blanket from around him and threw it to the floor. Shinji just stood there, naked and shivering next to the steaming tub. She couldn't help but notice how skinny he looked, like he had been wasting away in the weeks before Impact. He too had livid scars covering his body, almost in a pattern, though she couldn't quite make it out in the light.

"Jesus… I can't believe I'm standing here ogling your skinny ass!" She said and she nudged him towards the tub. He pretty much just fell into it with an enormous splash, spilling precious water on the floor and soaking her clothing through as well.

"Fucking good one Ikari!"

Setting her jaw determinedly she grabbed a washcloth and soap and gently began to wash the dirt and dried blood away from the wounds on his face and chest. She looked at his face, it was peaceful, if vacant. She had known him for almost a year and she didn't think that she had even seen his face so devoid of tension, fear or anxiety. She mopped some dry blood from his brow, smiling unconsciously to herself as his automatic reflex caused him to blink rapidly as the water dripped into his eyes.

"Why the hell am I here, Shinji?" She said in almost a whisper. "Why did you chose me to come back? Of all of the people in the World, why me? Why bring me back to this World and then abandon me? Why Shinji….?"

She wasn't expecting an answer, which was just as well, because she didn't get one.

She continued washing him, although she could bring herself to _touch it _she did feel herself blush as she carefully worked _around_ his groin area. "Not much to look at…" she said with a teasing tone. "But I swear to you, Third Child, if that thing even moves or….or_… anything _I will kick you out into the snow and leave you there to freeze to death! You understand me?"

She laughed out loud to herself at the ridiculousness of her situation. "Thank God no one can see us here… " She said as she continued giggling.

Quickly, but gently, she finished cleaning him up. Then she got him out of the bath, wrapped the blanket back around him and took him back to the fireplace to dry off. While he sat there, she went back out to the small outbuilding and dragged the crate full of old clothing back to the cabin.

She noticed as she brought the crate back that the sun was already beginning to sink lower into the sky. She knew that she had slept in late, but surely it couldn't be sundown already? She remembered hearing that the days in Winter had been shorter than summer, but for all of her life the days had been long in the eternal summer of 2nd Impact. Maybe this was what things were supposed to be like. Perhaps the World was returning to its normal round of seasons and this cold Winter would give way to the warmth of Spring and Summer? She hoped so.

Back inside she rugged Shinji up in some of the warmer looking clothes in the crate, and changed into some warmer clothes herself. By that time it was dark outside and the little house closed in again upon them.

Their meagre food supply would have to be rationed strictly if they were to continue surviving for any length of time, so she decided not to heat up anything for them. Tomorrow she would go out and try to find more supplies for them, but it was best to play it safe and not use too much all at once.

They would just have to get used to hunger for now. "If you don't like it, Baka, feel free to complain… " No reply was forthcoming. "Thought so."

Asuka was taken by surprise by an enormous yawn that felt like it completely overtook her. She tried to stretch her aching and stiff limbs and back. Her body felt heavy and sore from the exertions of the day, and although it only felt like she had been awake for a few hours at most, she was bone tired.

She lay down on the bed and draped the quilt and a couple of blankets over them. Sleep took her quickly.

In the flickering darkness Shinji's open eyes shimmered dully. The firelight dancing in the single tear that rolled down the side of his cheek and was lost in the crumpled bedclothes.

* * *

><p>The roadways closer to the ruins of Tokyo-3 were littered with rubble and debris, so Asuka had to leave the van behind. She had found the train tracks a convenient path around the city, but once off them the streets became impassable.<p>

So she had parked it at the nearest train station to the centre that still stood, thrown an old canvas rucksack on her back and the rifle over her right shoulder and had proceeded on foot into the remains of one of Humanity's greatest technical achievements. Shin Tokyo-3.

It felt a lot longer than two days ago that she had been here. Dirty and bedraggled, dressed only in a torn and damaged plug suit. Now she moved with purpose. Warm clothing insulating her still sore and aching body from the cold. Asuka felt reasonably confident that she could find something in the blasted city that would help them survive.

She had left Shinji back at the farm. He would be more of a liability, she felt, in her exploration of the City. He was still back at the cabin, lying on the futon next to the fire. A small tinge of resentment curled her lip. '_Fucking lazy Baka… Lying around while I do all of the work!'_ She didn't need him anyway. She would survive _and _keep their precious Shinji-kun alive until they all came crawling back out of the muck. Then they would see how much more worthy she was than they had ever treated her!

'_Fuck them all anyway! I don't need them, I'm doing fine all by myself!'_

Once again she found herself walking past their old Apartment building. She didn't even spare it a glance. _'No point crying over the past. Time to make the future!'_ Even in her head it sounded like a corny old platitude.

Out here in the suburbs the City still seemed devoid of life. No birds sang or squawked, nothing moved but the various bits of debris and rubbish in the freezing wind. Asuka really did feel like she was the only living creature on the Earth.

A few snowflakes began to gently fall.

Further along the road there were several buildings that were still upright. Though the angles of many of their walls suggested that this wasn't necessarily a permanent arrangement. Despite this, a small glow of hope warmed her insides and tightened her throat. If she remembered rightly, Misato's favourite convenience store was in this group of buildings!

She scrambled over some more piles of rubble and sure enough, there was the entrance to the store, with its sign battered and lying on the ground near the entrance. She looked anxiously at the state of the building around it. It didn't look like it would collapse in the next 15 minutes or so. With a certain amount of apprehension she went inside.

It was dark inside and even with the dim light outside it took her eyes a minute or so to adjust to the gloom. The smell was truly unpleasant. Several different kinds of… something… were rotting in the freezers and fridges of the store.

Asuka unslung the heavy rifle and took the rucksack off her back and placed the both on the dust covered counter. Feeling strangely ridiculous she took one of the shopping trolleys from the bay and wheeled it further into the store.

Ignoring the temptations of the rows of snack foods she made her way to the aisles of tinned food. She grimaced with every ready-meal and canned meat product she placed in the cart, but for the moment she felt that the more energy she could put into keeping them alive the better. If she could keep them both alive long enough for this winter to end perhaps she could even get some fresh food growing?

Quickly she had gathered enough to fill her rucksack. Being aware of her weakened condition and the fact that the van was probably two kilometres walk or so away she came back to the front counter and began to load up the rucksack with some of the goods she had found. Clipping it shut she put it on her back, grabbed the rifle and headed out of the store.

In the short time that she had been inside the blizzard had set in. The wind had an even icier edge to it now and the snow flakes stung her eyes and face. It was all that she could do to muster up the energy to push her weary legs back towards the station where the van was parked.

The silence of the City was freakishly eerie. Even her own laboured breathing and muffled footfalls seemed to be absorbed by the ruins around her. Their stricken outlines softened by the snow that now was beginning to blanket them. It would almost be beautiful if not for the knowledge of the violence that had rendered the World that way.

Trudging past the old Apartment building without really noticing it and finally seeing the wreck of the station building come into view she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank God!" She said out loud.

As if in answer a distant wail sounded in the air. The blizzard around her made it difficult to tell from which direction it had come. But it was answered by another, louder wail from much closer to her. Panic clutched at her stomach and she quickened her pace towards the station as the air was filled with yet another wail, much more distant than the others. She only knew of one thing that made that forlorn and chilling sound. She had heard it often back in Germany as a child, especially when she had lived with her Grandmother just outside Regensburg. Wolves had been gaining in population in Central Europe since 2nd Impact, mostly because there were now less Humans to compete with them for land and food. But they had supposedly been extinct in Japan for over a century.

She didn't bother questioning what or why they seemed to be here and now in Tokyo-3, she simply picked up her pace and tried to get to the van as quickly as her exhausted legs would carry her.

Her breath burned in her ribs and her burdens seemed to become heavier with each step. Her simple gratitude when she finally reached the old van and slumped in the seat was heavenly. Her face burned with the cold and her ears ached horribly.

The starter motor whined shrilly for a few tense moments before the engine coughed into life. She forced the old van into gear and headed carefully down the trackway. The tyres slipped and skidded on the icy concrete, but she managed to keep it under control.

A few more stops later she had managed to get some better fitting cold weather gear from a derelict old Army Surplus store, including some boots that actually fit, some leather gloves, a scarf and a woollen hat, and what she felt was a very retro and stylish pair of old flying goggles. As well as small gas burner and bottle from the camping section. She was really starting to get into it when again that same distant wail floated eerily on the icy wind. She came back to reality as she realised that daylight was not going to last for too much longer. The last thing she needed was to be caught out trying to drive back to the farm in the dark with God knew what lurking in the shadows! She quickly finished loading up the van and turned towards home. Or what would be home from now on in.

The snow was starting to really build up now. It was getting harder to differentiate between the railway tracks and the surrounding landscape in the blizzard. She managed to drive mostly in the lee of the sound barriers and stay clear of the worst of the piling snow, but it got harder as she had to leave the relative shelter of the rail line and drive through the shattered outskirts of Tokyo-3.

Eventually when she finally cleared the old city and was able to get onto on one of the less damaged trunk roads the going became easier and she was able to increase her speed a little. Though still being carefully as the going could become treacherous without much warning. But the light was beginning to fade fast and she had to turn the headlights on before to long to try and see better in the growing gloom.

Suddenly a black shape seemed to materialise out of the blizzard and before she could react she felt a great _Whump _as the van struck something heavy on the front passenger side. She slammed her foot onto the brake but in the slippery conditions it skidded out of control and spun 180 degrees to end up facing in the opposite direction on the other side of the roadway.

"Shit!" Asuka exclaimed feeling her lip where a small trickle of blood was starting to flow from where she had bitten it when she had struck… whatever it was. In the light of the remaining headlight of her van, about 20 metres away by the side of the road, a dark shape lay unmoving in the cone of light.

Leaving the engine running and pulling her gloves and goggles on she grabbed the rifle out from behind the seat and opened the door. Sliding out of the van she stood for a moment just listening. A heavy panting groan was coming from the direction of the shape on the road. Apart from the rattle of the van's engine all else was silent.

Holding the old rifle defensively in front of her she slowly waked towards it. As she got closer she could see that it appeared to be a fairly young Sika deer. They had been numerous in the old Hakone area before Third Impact, though God only knew what it had survived on in this desolate landscape. She lifted the goggles up from her eyes and looked closely at it. It certainly wasn't the healthiest looking individual. She could just about count all of its ribs as its chest heaved. A bright splash of blood stained the snow near its mouth and its two front legs were splayed at unnatural angles. The deer continued to give soft groaning pants as it lay there.

Asuka ran a hand down its neck. Its dark eyes looking at her as she stroked it. A genuine pity for this poor broken creature swelled inside her as she looked down on it.

"I'm sorry, _liebchen._" She said to it tenderly. It lifted its head and looked at her. "I'm going to have to do this."

The deer lay its head back down in the snow. Asuka could feel tears prickling in her eyes as she brought the muzzle of the rifle down to its head. Closing her eyes and trying to ignore the panting of the creature, she whispered. "Sorry…" and pulled the trigger.

The boom of the shot echoed around her. She opened her eyes again. The deer was dead. That was the way of things, she told herself. The strong survive and the weak do not. She ejected the spent cartridge and slung the rifle back over her shoulder. As much as the idea made her stomach turn, this deer could just represent survival to her and Shinji. She grabbed its legs and began to drag it back towards the van.

A low growl froze her blood and made her stop in her tracks. She dropped the deer and spun around.

Between her and the safety of the van stood three skinny grey wolves. As she stood there, her blood turning to ice in her veins, the largest of the three, a dark grey male with an unusually short tail, took two steps forward. His lips curled back from his enormous teeth as he snarled warningly at her.

The whole of existence seemed to shrink to just her, the dead deer and the exposed teeth of the three wolves that stood blocking her way back to safety. She slowly unslung the rifle from her shoulder, never once breaking eye contact with the bob-tailed wolf. Her mind was racing. Should she try to shoot the leader? Or would that escalate things with the others? She didn't think that she could bring down all three before they would get to her. Maybe bluff would be enough to see them off?

She yelled out and lunged suddenly at the wolves, who jumped back from her growling even louder. Curiously they didn't try to come at her. Asuka was confused by this. _'It's almost as if they are holding me here… ' _Something warned of the danger before she even realised that it was on her. She ducked and threw her arm up just as the animal crashed into her. Four more wolves had circled around behind her while the first three had held her attention. While two of those had tried to drag the deer carcass away the others had leapt at her from behind.

The impact of the animals striking her knocked her to the ground. Luckily her heavy woollen duffel coat had protected her arm from the sharp teeth that had latched onto her arm. But it wouldn't protect her for long as the other three wolves moved in for the kill.

Kicking out at them with her booted feet she managed to roll onto her back so that she could face the slavering jaws of her attackers. She could smell the stink of their hot breath and hear the snapping of their teeth just in front of her face. Her left arm felt like it was being crushed in the jaws of one of them. Grabbing the rifle in her free hand she swung it wildly, smashing it into the face of the wolf on her arm. It yelped and leapt back, blood oozing from its broken jaw. The others also backed off a little, letting her bring the weapon to bear.

Ka-Boom!

Another of the creatures dropped to the snow, blood staining the fur on its chest. Its five pack mates backed off warily while the sixth lay whining quietly with its mouth full of blood. They were now between her and the deer. It was what they had wanted all along she supposed. She was just in their way. On the plus side, nothing now stood between her and the van.

"Fine." She said to them wearily. "Take it, just leave me alone!"

As if they understood her they backed away from her. Working together they dragged the carcass of the deer off the road and into the darkness. Leaving their dead and injured brothers behind.

She watched them go in silence. Only the burble of the engine and the whining of the injured wolf breaking the quiet.

Asuka could feel the shaking beginning in her legs and hands as the realisation of how close she had been to death began to sink into her brain. She shook her head. This was not the time to be losing it. She still had to get back, in the dark, to the little cabin where Shinji was waiting for her.

She turned to get into the van, but then she stopped. She turned back to where the two stricken wolves lay in the pool of light from the single working headlamp of her van. The first one was dead. The hole in its chest and stricken posture leaving no doubt as to that. The second one lay where it had finally collapsed a little further away. Its breath was faint and ragged and the fur around its mouth where she had hit it was matted with blood. It whined quietly as she approached it, but made no attempt to move.

Asuka looked into its dark eye as she lowered the rifle to its head.

"Sorry…" She said as she pulled the trigger.

Without looking back she walked to the waiting van and carefully turned it around and drove off, back towards her home.

At least the blizzard had stopped.

* * *

><p>In the moonlight, even filtered by the constant cloud cover as it was, she could see the welcoming smoke coming from the brick chimney of the little cabin. Asuka felt weary to her very bones as she guided the old van into the cover of the bigger shed and climbed stiffly out of it.<p>

She didn't bother unpacking the van. She didn't even bother making either of them a meal or bathing to get the blood and frozen sweat of the fight with the wolves off her after she got back inside.

She threw a couple of logs onto the dwindling fire and stripped off her clothes down to just a T-shirt. Crawling under the covers of the futon next to where Shinji still lay she snuggled under the quilt and put her arms around the supine Third Child, drinking in the warmth of his body.

Finally allowing the tension of the day to overwhelm her she lay her head on his shoulder and wept like she hadn't since the day that Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu had left this Earth.

She was beginning to realise that surviving Third Impact might just be the death of her.

**End Chapter 2 **

* * *

><p>Chapter 2 done. This initial part is taking more space than I had initially planned.<p>

I do have a reason for giving Asuka that particular rifle. I'm not a gun nut by any means. But the inspiration for this story came from an image that sprang into my mind of Asuka in a frozen wasteland. Duffel coat and goggles and holding a battered old SMLE rifle. It may seem a weird gun for 21st century Japan, but it also happens to tie in with a side story idea that I'm toying with. ^_^

Hopefully someone out there is enjoying reading this! Please review if you're reading. It provides a two-fold benefit of giving me encouragement to go on and some feedback about what you think about this little tale.

God... I sound a bit needy there! :)

Thanks for reading!


	3. Fimbulvetr

D/C: Evangelion is the property of its respective copyright holders and distributors. None of which is me!

* * *

><p><strong>Unbroken<strong>

**Chapter 3**

**Fimbulvetr**

***Click….. BOOM!***

"Arrgh! Fucking hang-fire!" Asuka cursed as the shot went wide of its intended target. She quickly worked the bolt of the rifle, clearing the spent cartridge and ramming another one into the chamber.

It was too late though. The scrawny deer was off and scampered over the next rise before she could manage to bring the gun to bear for a second shot.

"_Fuck!_" Asuka swore. She had been following the animal for most of that afternoon and this had been her best chance so far at bringing it down. She was bone weary and the western sky was beginning to turn the brilliant red colour that signified that darkness was not far away. She wiped a gloved hand across her face, a small trail of fresh blood stained it ."Fuck." She said again, but for a different reason. These unexplained nosebleeds were becoming all the more frequent. Asuka sighed wearily. In the scheme of things it wasn't important. Other problems pressed more urgently to the forefront of her mind. Like the fact that she couldn't afford to be out there when darkness fell.

Darkness was when the wolves were at their most active and vigilant. She had learned from hard experience over the months that to be outdoors after dusk was to invite mortal danger in the form of animals that could see much better in the dark than she could ever hope to.

In the day time the pack was much quieter, and it if she ever encountered any of them during the lighter hours, they had learned to keep a respectful distance from her and her rifle. She was content with that arrangement.

Live and let live, but never go outdoors without a loaded gun. That was what had kept her and Shinji alive for nearly a year now in the frozen wasteland that was post Third Impact Japan. That and her ability to hunt and scavenge them just enough food to avoid starving to death. But it had been a hard time, and it was going to get worse if nothing changed soon, she knew it.

This Winter looked as if it was never going to end. There was so little forage to sustain the local herbivores that their populations had collapsed. Without them the creatures that relied upon them for their own sustenance struggled to survive. The rivalry for the few remaining prey animals was fierce. So far there had been just enough to keep Asuka and the local wolf population from coming into direct competition. But she knew that wouldn't last when the supply of deer ran out. When that happened… She wasn't sure what she would do.

"Oh well, I'll burn that bridge when I get to it." She said fatalistically.

She trudged through the snow covered track back to the main road taking her back to the cabin, her footsteps squeaking on the icy ground. She could make out the slight plume of smoke rising from the chimney. That was another worry. They were on the last of the scraps of wood and fuel that the area had to give, and going further afield to get more was going to be nigh on impossible. Especially since the van was no longer available after she had managed to roll it on the icy roads between here and Tokyo-3. It didn't really matter though, as there was only enough petrol left in the drums in the outbuildings for about quarter of a tank at most anyway.

By the time she got back to the cabin the sky was completely black with just the pale ghosts of swift moving high altitude clouds masking the pale early evening stars. She shook the snow off her boots and went inside.

"Tadaima!" She called as she came in. Still, despite all of this time without one, hoping for some kind of answer. None, of course, ever came.

She leaned the rifle against the wall took and off her gloves and coat. Then she lit a small hurricane lantern and carried it with her into the main room. "Did you miss me? Or are you pissed off that I didn't take you along with me this time?" Shinji remained seated in front of the fire where she had left him and gave no sign that he was even aware of her.

She put some more wood on the fire from the pile she kept next to it. Most of the wood was from the demolition of the now empty outbuilding that had stored their original firewood. Even that source was getting _very_ low.

She went into the bathroom and started another fire in the small metal tray that she had placed underneath the large cast iron bath. She filled the bath up with snow every few days so that she could warm it up in this way, so as to wash the grime, dirt and freeze dried sweat off of their bodies. It was really the only luxury they had anymore, and after hours of fruitless hunting she felt the need for a little luxury.

She went back out to the main room. "Sorry Shinji. No food today!" She said with false cheeriness. "I think I need to go back into Tokyo-3 tomorrow. We need to stock up on more instant crap if we want to keep up this modern lifestyle! You wanna come?" She waited a moment. "Fine then! Ill do it by myself!" She said in mock indignation. "Typical! Leave a woman to do all of the work while you sit on your bony ass and do nothing! You think that you're the last man on Earth or something?" Shinji, of course, gave no reply to her taunting. Asuka did it anyway because she needed to talk to someone or she'd go _fucking_ _insane!_ Shinji _was_ actually, as far as she could tell, the last man on Earth. She was the last woman. "Oh boy, the Human race is truly screwed!" She muttered to herself.

She had, in some of her more desperate moments, considered _using_ him. That maybe as the last human female it was her duty to try, however futilely, to continue the species. Become the new Eve and all of that crap. But she couldn't. There was no way she could use him like that. There was a very nasty word for what that was. It would be far worse than what he had done to her in the Hospital, at least in her own mind.

The mere thought of becoming one with him while he just lay there staring into space with those lifeless eyes of his made her flesh crawl. She still shuddered though at the thought of how much some deep primeval part of her still had _wanted_ her to do it.

She went back into the bathroom and felt the water. It was just about the right temperature. She smothered the small fire under the tub with an old blanket and went back into the main room again. "Come on Shinji! Bath time!" She said to him as she began to strip her own clothing off. Pulling the long shirt up over her head and finally kicking off her shoes and socks she lowered the heavy cargo pants to the floor and stood completely nude in the firelight. It still amazed her how unfazed she was these days at being naked in front of him. The first couple of times had been to weird for words, but now she didn't even give it a second thought most of the time.

Once she was disrobed she then turned her attention to him. Dragging him to his feet she quickly and efficiently pulled the sweater up over his head, exposing his pale body with his ribs now protruding under his skin. Then she removed his socks and long pants so that he was now as naked as she was.

She took his hand in hers and led him to the bathroom. Gently she guided him into the warm bathwater and once he was settled she hopped in and sat herself neck deep in the heavenly warm water at the other end of the bath to him

"Ahhh." She sighed. "That's more like it." She just let herself soak in the delicious warmth and safety of it all for a few blissful minutes. She ignored the growling protests of her stomach for the moment and just sitting with her eyes closed as the warmth of the water eased the pain in her aching joints for the first time in days.

After all too short a time she began to feel the water cooling off a bit. She opened her eyes and quickly got to work. Lathering them both up with a misshapen cake of soap she set to getting them both as clean as was possible in that rusty old bath. Then, before the last of the warmth left the water, she got the both of them out of the bath. She quickly wrapped one dirty towel around herself and dried Shinji off and dressed him in a long flannel shirt for sleeping in. She positioned him back on the futon in the main room before drying herself off back in the bathroom.

As much as she tried to avoid it she was drawn to look at the girl in the bathroom mirror again. She noted the prominent cheekbones accentuated by her sunken cheeks, wild hair and bright, red rimmed eyes in the candlelight. She raised a hand to her face, opened her mouth and felt the spongy tender redness of her gums.

"Shit." She swore as she noticed yet another tooth becoming loose under the gentle pressure of her fingers. She couldn't afford to lose another one!

The scars on her body had faded a little over time, but they still ached almost constantly. Her skin seemed to look as though it was stretched tautly across her bones these days. The still livid marks of her scars pockmarked her pale flesh. Her protruding ribcage sticking out from her chest and beneath her breasts and prominent hip bones made her look like some kind of standing corpse to her own eyes. Both her and Shinji were painfully skinny and probably, she admitted to herself, completely malnourished.

The cold air was beginning to make her shiver, so she pulled on a long shirt and went out to the main room. Unashamedly she snuggled up to the prone form of Shinji as he lay on the futon in the dim firelight.

"Tomorrow…" She murmured to him groggily as sleep began to take her. "Tomorrow I'll go into Tokyo-3. I get us some proper food… Then we'll be okay… Tomorrow…" She was still saying even as she fell into a deep, but troubled sleep.

* * *

><p>"Come on, give me a fucking break!"<p>

Asuka's frustration levels were almost overpowering her weariness. She had spent most of the 'morning' so far hiking the frozen miles to Tokyo-3. It had been before the grey light of dawn had crawled sluggishly over the horizon when she had rolled out from where she had awoken, arms and legs entwined as usual with those of the catatonic Third Child.

She had made them both a breakfast of sorts from the last of the dried instant noodles and melted rusty snow-water that were left in the cabin. It didn't matter. If she didn't find food this time, hey were dead anyway. After this meagre breakfast she had placed Shinji back on the futon and piled just about every blanket they had on top of him. She had then dressed in her worn old duffel coat and warmest clothing. Stocking the rucksack with all of the stripper clips and ammunition she had Asuka grabbed the rifle and headed for the door.

"Sorry, Baka-Shinji." She had said to him as she left. "I can't take you with me this time! You'd only slow me down, like… like you always do… " She remembered that she had felt a certain reluctance to leave him there. Almost like she would never see him again. Forcing herself into action she had walked through the front door, closing securely behind her, and out into the frigid darkness. "Baka…. " She said in an almost whisper. Even she wasn't too sure whom she had meant.

Hitching the ropes of the crude, home made, sled over her shoulder she had begun the long lonely walk to the ruined city.

Dawn had finally come, though it had only brought a sombre illumination to the shattered landscape around her. She paid it no attention as she marched, head down and breathing hard, along the long icy road to Tokyo-3.

Once she had reached the City things hadn't improved for her.

She had, in the early days of her time in the post Third Impact wasteland, stuck to raiding the few intact markets and convenience stores for food. She had avoided the few intact dwellings because they still had some resonance of their former occupants for her. Going into peoples homes felt like burglary. Like she was trampling someone's gravesite or something.

Hunger and necessity had finally, many months ago, forced her to break her way into those homes and take what she could of the meagre pickings they offered.

Now even those few sources of sustenance were drying up. She had plundered her way through nearly every building that was left in any way upright. Even though most of them felt like they would collapse around her ears at any moment. Eventually she had worked her way to the hill overlooking the city. This was the same hill that the remains of Tokyo-3 Middle School were perched.

The houses around the school were mostly smashed and obliterated as the multiple N2 strikes had hit the city, but the school had been protected by its imposing stone retaining wall and more solid concrete construction. Several of its buildings were no more than skeletal remains but the body of the main building still stood a kind of sepulchral watch over Tokyo-3.

Asuka had mostly avoided it until this time. Too many raw and painful memories were entombed in there.

This time need had pushed her beyond her misgivings. She pulled the sled wearily through the school gate. The rusted ironwork hanging awkwardly off its hinges. She had some small hope that the school cafeteria's store room might just contain some of the awful, powdered and pre-packaged so called 'food' that it had regularly doled out to its poor unfortunate and long departed students.

She allowed herself a wry half smile. _She_ had never had to lower herself to actually eat at the school cafeteria. Shinji had always prepared a fresh home made bento for her every school morning. A bento which she usually complained about and criticised. Though that had never stopped her from eating them. At the time she had felt that her position as Top Ranking Evangelion Pilot had entitled her to no less.

What she wouldn't have done for one of those Bentos now…

Casting such futile thoughts aside she undid the rope binding her to the sled. Thus far she hadn't actually needed it. There was just no food of any sort to be found in almost the entire Tokyo-3 area. She had dragged that heavy thing all over this side of the city, and had virtually nothing to show for it.

Asuka held the rifle defensively in front of her body and for the first time since the 15th Angel had laid her mind and soul bare, she went back into the Tokyo-3 Middle School.

Walking down those familiar corridors was an eerily surreal experience. A school devoid of students was a strangely sad and barren place to be. A school in a dead City on a dead World exponentially so.

Her booted feet crunched on the broken glass that seemed to cover every square centimetre of the floor. Doors and upturned lockers were scattered across her way also. As she tread carefully along the hallways she noticed that every here and there dark, reddish brown, stains were spattered on the walls. Some of them even having run down the and collected in now dried pools on the filthy floor. She had seen the same pattern of staining on a much larger scale during some of her battles in Unit 02.

She didn't doubt that it was dried blood she could see. There had been similar signs of carnage in several of the stores and ruined houses she had raided over her months in this wasteland.

Without even really thinking about it where she was going , she came to the door of Class 2-A. Its sliding door was strangely intact.

With a sense of something almost bordering on dread she slid the nondescript grey door open. In her mind's eye she was still expecting to see the classroom full of all of those familiar faces. Hikari, Toji, that dweeb Aida. Even the Honour Student Ayanami, staring as usual out of the window and yet always achieving top marks in every exam and assignment. _'The little mutant freak!'_ Even the old fossil of a Sensei would have been a welcome sight, droning on at the front of the class about how tough life had been after Second Impact.

'_Hmph. He should try living after Third Impact!' _Asuka thought bitterly.

It was with a genuine sense of disappointment that she saw that the old classroom was as derelict as all of the others she had passed in the school. All of the windows were smashed and broken. Several of the desks were overturned and some had been pushed over towards the other side of the room by a great force of some kind. Her own desk was jammed up against Shinji's. Without really thinking about why she was doing it she set it back on its legs and straightened it up and brushed some of the dust off the top of it.

It was then that a primal kind of anger swelled inside her chest. '_What the fuck am I doing here?' _Her inner voice screamed. '_What was the God-damned point of coming back in here and straightening a fucking desk like it would somehow bring back the miserable time of the life that I fucking hated, and lost? Am I losing my fucking mind?"_

She raised the rifle over her head and smashed the brass shoulder plate of into the top of her old desk. The cheap laminated particle board splintered and cracked under the blow. Three more strikes and it had shattered completely. She kicked at the stricken desk and sent it skittering across the room. A plastic chair followed it shortly after. Hikari's desk suffered a similar, violent end. Now brandishing the rifle like a club she spun around to assault Shinji's desk. Before she could strike the killer blow to the offending piece of furniture something brought her up short.

She stood there, panting from the sudden exertion, but standing frozen in time as she looked down at it. Carved, no more like hacked actually, into the top of Shinji's desk in a very familiar scrawl was:

**"あんたバカ?"**

She remembered clearly scratching that into his desk with a compass during morning recess in the early days of her time in Tokyo-3. She also remembered that the idiot had seemed to be almost pleased with it when he saw her doing it. The image of his ridiculous smiling face appeared in her mind. The moron was so starved of attention that being insulted by her was enough to make him happy? He really was pathetic.

The rifle clattered unnoticed to the floor. Asuka's vision seemed to be getting blurry all of a sudden. She sniffed and wiped her gloved hand across her eyes and was shocked to see traces of moisture on the back of it.

"Oh great, now I'm _crying_? I must be losing my fucking mind!"

Asuka sniffed again, but then retched as the familiar sickly feeling of blood hitting the back of her throat triggered her gag reflex. She screwed up her face and spat out as much as she could of the blood. Grabbing a dirty rag off the teachers desk she held it up to her nose, trying not to be alarmed as it swiftly turned red from the flow from her nostrils as she tilted her head forward.

These constant nose-bleeds were becoming a real pain in the ass.

It took nearly ten minutes before the flow finally stopped. _'Well, I've wasted enough time in here…'_ She thought to herself in an attempt to urge herself on. "Ikuhayo, Asuka!" She said aloud as she tossed the blood soaked rag onto the floor and picked up the rifle. She exited Classroom 2-A and headed towards the school's cafeteria.

xxxxxxxxx

"Six tins of powdered eggs. A crate of tinned frankfurters and a catering sized can of instant coffee! No wonder I never ate at this shit-hole!" Asuka griped as she loaded the meagre bounty from the school's larder onto the sled. It seemed most of the non tinned foods had quickly been claimed by the rodent population in the early days after Third Impact. All of the rice and freeze dried food in plastic packaging had been plundered long ago. Leaving just these measly offerings for the German girl to show for her trouble.

"Oh well, it's better that nothing I suppose…" She said as she looked up a the sky.

Through the cloud cover she could see that sun was already past its zenith in the sky and had started to make its way down to the western mountains. She figured at best she had a couple of hours of daylight left. She had wasted far too much time at that school discovering that memory lane could be a dark and lonely alleyway. She knew that she had to get her ass into gear if she wanted to get home before darkness fell.

Bracing herself against the growing wind she reattached the sled's rope and turned her back on the ruins of Tokyo-3 Middle School for what would be the last time.

* * *

><p>The wind had grown even more frigid by the time she had cleared the ruins of Tokyo-3. Dark clouds had gathered over the mountains and begun slowly creeping and swelling to cover the entire sky. Asuka shivered despite her many layers of warm clothing. She was still too far away from home and thanks to the gathering clouds darkness was falling earlier than she had expected. To make things worse small flurries of snowflakes were beginning to fall around her.<p>

Asuka stopped on the road and pulled the goggles up from her eyes. There was too much condensation on the inside of them to see clearly anymore. Immediately the cold wind stung her eyeballs causing her to blink rapidly as they watered, the tears freezing almost instantly on her cheeks.

"Ah, crap!" She said wearily. "It just gets better and better."

Screwing her eyes up against the wind she set back to pulling her burden the remaining couple of kilometres to the safety of the cabin and Shinji.

Just a she had restarted her journey she heard a noise that turned her blood to ice in her veins. It was the unmistakeable howl of a wolf. The cold air made noise travel in unusual ways, but this had sounded frighteningly close to her. Almost instantly it was answered by another howl. This time it was from the other side of her position.

Despite her weariness Asuka picked up the pace. The snow was falling more heavily now, coating the icy road surface quickly in a soft layer that deadened her footfalls and made the World seem unnaturally quiet. With the increasing darkness and snowfall the surrounding area around her contract to just twenty metres or so. Beyond that she could see and hear nothing.

No further howls could be heard, but she didn't doubt that the wolves knew where she was. She picked up her pace, bending almost double under the strain of pulling the heavy sled through the powdery snow. She continued slogging through this silent landscape for what felt like an eternity.

Eventually the snow let up a little. There were still a few light flurries now and then, but she could now see a lot further even in the half light. From the glow on the horizon the moon was rising, causing the cloud cover to glow eerily above her.

The terrain around her was also more clear too. With real relief she knew that just over the next rise she would actually be able to see their tiny cabin in the distance.

"Finally! Thank God for that!" She breathed in relief. Her voice instantly stolen away by the wind.

Almost in answer to her a dark shape detached itself from the twilight around her and stopped on the road before her. Asuka froze as two more shapes joined the first and stood facing her. Standing squarely between her and her route to safety. She stole a quick glance behind her to see several more dark shapes blocking the road behind her.

Slowly she untied the sled from her body and unslung the rifle from her shoulder. A low growl carried on the wind from the wolves positioned in front of her.

Asuka could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She raised the rifle, pointing it at the shape of the bob-tailed wolf that she knew was the alpha male of the pack. At the last moment she spun around as some sixth sense alerted her to danger. She was just in time to see one of the larger wolves from the group behind her begin its running jump at her from behind.

**Ka-boom**!

The rifle's report rent the night air. Her attacker was dead by the time it crashed headlong into her, knocking her to the snowy ground. Despite the air being forced from her lungs temporarily she had enough presence of mind to be able to re-cock the gun before the rest of the pack was on her. Yet another loud boom echoed throughout the hills around her as a second animal collapsed lifeless to the ground.

Then there was no more time.

Asuka's World suddenly turned into a thrashing whirlwind of snapping jaws and flailing limbs as several wolves attacked her at once. Asuka screamed and kicked at one that was sinking its teeth into her leg, causing it to let go with a yelp. Another one she managed to smash in the jaw with the butt of her rifle, causing it to fall to the ground insensible.

It was becoming harder and harder to wield the rifle with the wolves so close into her as she lay on the ground. One of the had hold of her left arm in its mouth. The thick material of her duffel coat prevented it from piercing her flesh, but the huge pressure of its jaws was crushing her forearm in a vise like grip. She was just managing to hold another off with the wooden stock of the rifle.

The feeling of being all alone, seemingly helpless as bloodthirsty slavering jaws tried to rip her to pieces sent Asuka's memory straight back to the final battle with the Evangelion Mass Production Series. In her mind there was suddenly no difference between that awful day and her fight to the death that was happening right here. Once again she was alone, abandoned. No Shinji to come charging over the horizon to save her. Asuka was once again left to die a lonely and unremarked death.

"_Not this time…" _She gritted out between her teeth as she strained to hold back the creature that threatened to rip her face off. Nothing but determination and the century old relic of a bygone war to save her.

Despite her limited range of movement she was doing her best to beat it back with her right arm and the rifle butt. Eventually it stepped back just enough for her to kick it with all of her force. She actually felt the animals ribs snapping under her boot as she kicked at it. That didn't stop it or its other injured pack mate from still trying to get at her, but her legs were flailing wildly at this time, preventing them from getting a hold of her lower limbs.

With her right hand now able to let go of the rifle for a second she quickly unsheathed the long bayonet on her hip that she had been using as a hunting knife. Drawing out the razor sharp blade she wasted no time in sinking it right up to the hilt in the chest of the wolf that had hold of her left arm. The creature trembled and then rolled over without a sound as the shaft pierced its heart, robbing it of its life instantly.

With that wolf dead she was able to struggle up to her knees and face the remaining two wolves. They kept a wary distance, circling her, looking for a weakness. From the way that they both moved she could tell that she had seriously injured them. One of them, the one she had kicked in the ribs, was letting out tiny whines as it breathed. It's broken ribs causing it intense pain with one of its lungs punctured and also was probably bleeding internally.

The other injured wolf was bleeding heavily from its jaw after being kicked earlier in the attack.

Asuka ejected the spent cartridge and slammed another round into the chamber. She also, for the first time, attached the bayonet quickly to the front of her rifle. The extra weight on the end of the already heavy weapon made it a little more awkward to handle, but she felt considerably more confident about facing her two enemies with her rifle now able to double as a glaive if needed.

The two wolves suddenly started to come at her as she stood up to face them.

"Come on you fuckers!" She yelled as she shot one of them squarely in the chest. It dropped to the ground like a stone. As the second one reached her she braced her legs and thrust the bayonet deep into its thorax as it leapt at her. Impaling itself with the impact the dead weight of the wolf struck her, knocking her back to her knees.

Getting back to her feet and drawing the bloody bayonet from the dying creature Asuka gritted her teeth as she drove it back into the wolf's heart. Killing it instantly. She did the same to the one that she had managed to knock out at the beginning of her fight with the pack.

Wiping the blade on the fur of the dead animal she slung the rifle back over her shoulder and walked wearily back over to the abandoned sled. Sometime during the fight the snow had stopped altogether and the cloud cover was beginning to thin out. As she began her walk to the cabin again, carefully holding her painfully throbbing left arm, the moon showed itself from behind a bank of clouds for the first time that night. It was a full moon like she hadn't seen since that awful day on the beach nearly a year ago. Its face still marred by the bloody red wound across the sky left by Third Impact.

She crested the small rise in the road and could see the valley spread out before her. In the distance the tiny cabin could be made out with its small cluster of outbuildings. Even further, shimmering weirdly in the moonlight the shoreline and LCL sea could just be seen. Asuka ignored it as she had since the day she had left it behind. She had no desire to be reminded of that painful time.

Carefully making her way along the now slippery roadway with the sled in tow Asuka had no warning of the attack until it hit her.

She was momentarily stunned as teeth and fur crashed into her from behind, knocking her to the ground yet again. It was the Bob-tailed wolf. The leader of the pack that she had just decimated. Inwardly she cursed her own stupidity as she realised that she hadn't bothered to account for all of the animals that had attacked her. Her eyes danced with stars at the force of impact and she could feel the hot blood from a gash on her forehead that the wolf's jaws had opened up when it had hit her.

The big wolf snarled and snapped at her as she fought to hold it off. Its rank breath washed over her and its hot saliva dripped from its jaws and onto her face as she held it back with her arms at full stretch.

Holding the crazed creature off her with her agonized left arm she wrapped her right hand around its skinny throat. The wolf's eyes bulged and its attempts to get at her became more and more frantic as she squeezed it tighter and tighter. Her breathing was harsh and painful in the cold air as she held back its bloodthirsty jaws fro her face. Finally she felt a sickening crushing sensation under her clawing fingers and the wolf collapsed on top of her, still twitching and struggling in a uncoordinated manner.

Asuka pushed the wolf off of her and got back to her feet. She went and picked the rifle up from where it had dropped when she had first been struck. Deliberately she unfastened the bayonet and put it back into its sheath. The she slowly walked up to the fallen wolf and lowered the rifle to its head.

"_Geh mit Gott_" she said as she pulled the trigger.

Not bothering with the rapidly drying blood on her face she walked back to her sled and dragged it the last painful hundred metres or so to the turnoff for the farm.

As she walked her tongue couldn't help but explore a new gap in its surroundings.

"Ah, crap!" Asuka exclaimed. "I just lost another fucking tooth!"

* * *

><p>She could tell something was amiss before she had even got to the front door.<p>

Something just felt… wrong. The wind had stopped completely. The cabin sat broodingly in the brightness of the full moon. For the first time that she could remember, the sky was completely clear above the building. There had often been small clear patches of sky over the months here. But they were few and short lived. Now the moon and stars clearly were visible together for one of the few times in this World. Free of the clouds that usually obscured it the bloody arc across the sky looked closer than it ever had before now. It almost looked as it touched the ground off to the south west of her.

As she reached the front door that hung open on its hinges all of these things became unimportant to her.

"What the _fuck_?" She exclaimed, as he dropped the tow line and ran up the front steps and into the cabin.

Inside the building all was dark and silent. The fire was dead in the grate and with the cold air coming in from the open front door it was like an icebox in there. Asuka fumbled with some matches and managed to light the hurricane lantern. In the feeble illumination it cast her worst nightmare was revealed.

Shinji was gone.

**End Chapter 3**

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><p>Hey again. Okay... so the big cliffhangery ending. This is the last chapter of the prologue part of the story. After this the pace will begin moving along a bit faster. There will even be other characters appearing in the next chapter. Including many of your favourites!<p>

Look forward to seeing you there!

P.S. If you love puppies and hate mean things then I just know that you'll leave a shiny new review!

Cheers!


	4. Asuka on the Shore II

D/C: I don't own Evangelion nor do I profit in anyway from this story! Apart from a warm fuzzy feeling of course!

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><p><strong>Unbroken<strong>

"_And Vishnu saw that at the end of his dream the world was one grave. Then the dream stopped."_

**Chapter Four**

**Asuka on the Shore II**

The blankets on the empty futon had been roughly cast onto the floor at her feet. She felt the mattress but it was cold. God only knew how long it had been since Shinji had lain there. Frantically she searched the rest of the small house. Nothing. The bathroom and derelict bedrooms showed no sign that he had even been there.

Forgetting her pain and fatigue she ran outside with the lantern and searched the outbuildings. No trace of Shinji there either. Asuka fell to her knees in the cold snow with her head bowed. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream of rail against the unfairness of it all. Nothing would come though. No tears, no curse vindictive enough to smite the Universe for its cruelty. So she just knelt there, the snow slowly soaking her lower legs with a biting cold that she didn't even feel.

Eventually the lantern sputtered and its tiny flame died out. Asuka levered herself back up to her feet using the rifle as a crutch. Angrily she kicked at the dead lantern which performed a graceful spiral before crashing into the side of the cabin.

"What the fuck am I supposed to do now?" She asked the full moon. Shinji was gone. The only thing that she actually had in this World had been taken from her. Asuka looked at the rifle speculatively. Feeling as if for the first time its weight and power. Raising the muzzle closer to her face she looked down the dark hole of the barrel. It would only take a small movement and all of this could be over. She had known that once their food failed this was always an option, but now, with Shinji gone, what was stopping her?

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. The distinctive smell of gunmetal mixed with a kind of hot coppery smell that was due to its recent firing filling her nostrils.

'_It would be so easy…' _She thought as her fingers tightened around the stock.

Unbidden the image of her Mother hanging lifeless from the ceiling of her bedroom came into the girl's mind. Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu's swollen and discoloured face stretched into a kind of leering grin as she stared down at her stricken daughter. Asuka's eyes sprang open at the image and she found herself still staring down the barrel of the ancient rifle.

"No Mama…" She whispered. "I won't give up like you did."

Feeling a new sense of determination Asuka slung the rifle back over her shoulder and set out again into the night. Baka Shinji was out there somewhere. She was going to find him and kick his scrawny ass back to Second Impact.

The bright light of the full Moon and the fresh layer of snow made it surprisingly easy to pick up his trail. Once she had walked back to the roadway and looked around it had only taken her a couple of minutes to make out a reasonably fresh set of footprints heading off to the southwest. The direction appeared to be straight and purposeful and she knew that it had to be him. The footprints were bigger than hers and the appeared to have been made by someone with bare feet. She figured that he couldn't have gotten too far in that state. Not to mention the fact that he was in even worse shape than she was. She shook her head at herself at her previous despair. Shinji was still out there somewhere! She'd find him no matter what. Asuka Langley Soryu never gave up!

Before too long it became clear where he was heading. Her heart sank a little when she realised. She hadn't been on this particular stretch of road for nearly a year now. The only thing that it led to was that accursed shoreline that Shinji and her had first awoken in this ruined World all that time ago.

Gritting her teeth she walked on under the full moon.

As she approached the shore the snow thinned out gradually until it was gone completely. The land was just as ravaged but the cold and wind seemed to have not touched this landscape. Her breath no longer steamed as she panted her way along the track and the air itself felt warmer and warmer as she got closer to her goal.

By the time she had reached the beach where this nightmare had begun she had taken off her coat and was actually perspiring heavily beneath her heavy sweater and pants.

The silence of the sea shore was eerie and complete. She walked past the driftwood marker with its bloodstained cross and down to the edge of the beach. The dark liquid in front of her looked a sickly red in the moonlight. Like sea of blood. The huge split visage of Ayanami lay rotting off in the distance. It was too horrible to even look at now.

Looking the shoreline up and down she could see a faint trail of footprints leading further south and around a small headland. She followed them as they thankfully took her away from the horrible image of the failure of Third Impact.

Rounding the headland she saw in the distance a rumpled pile of material right on the edge of the sea. She picked up her pace and quickly came up to it, she noticed that the footprints also seemed to end there as well. Dropping down to her knees to examine it closely she recognised it straight away. It was the large flannel shirt that she had dressed Shinji in the night before. It had been discarded there on the shoreline. Asuka looked around wildly. There were no more footprints for her to follow. No sign of a now naked Third Child waling off into the distance or floating in the sea.

Asuka held the discarded shirt to her face. Tears beginning to stream down her face as she held the material to her, enveloping her in his scent. He was gone. There was no longer any sense of Shinji Ikari existing on this plane.

"It's not fucking _fair_!" She screamed at the vivid moon. "I didn't choose this crapsack World,_ he_ did!" Asuka scrunched up the shirt and threw it into the LCL ocean. It quickly turned a bloody red in the moonlight and sank out of view. "He dumps me in this shit-hole, makes me _care_ for him for a fucking year and then abandons me? What the _fuck_ did I ever do to him to deserve this?"

The girl threw herself face first into the warm sand and cried bitterly to herself. A complete sense of desolation weighed down on her soul. She was alone. In reality she had been alone her whole life. But now everything that mattered had been stripped from her completely. A true sense of perspective on the isolation she now occupied hit her and it completely overwhelmed her.

With Shinji, the boy that she had a various times called an idiot, useless, a millstone around her neck and a waste of her time was gone. Without living for him for the last year she would have given up long ago. The boy was a constant in her life, and had been since that far off day on the 'Over The Rainbow'. With him gone… What did she actually have?

As her tears finally dried up Asuka felt a sense of relief wash over her. She had reached a point of epiphany. Wiping the tears from her face with sand covered hands she got back up to her feet and stood looking out over the sea. Taking a deep breath she pulled off her sweater and undid the buttons on her shirt and pants. Throwing each item of clothing into the sea and watching it sink as she did so.

Now Asuka stood naked on the shoreline. An enormous sense of a weight lifted from her shoulders and freedom washed over her. Lifting her scarred and bony arms high above her head in the moonlight she breathed in the air for what felt like the first time. The light breeze felt soothing against her skin and she lowered her arms and looked away from the sea, with the full moon sitting high above it, and down to the last remaining item that she had carried onto the beach with her.

She bent down and for the second time that night she held the old rifle in her hands. This time though, there was nothing but certainty in her mind. She did not belong in this empty World. Leaving it was not giving up. She was not following in her Mother's footsteps. She was making her own choice. And Asuka Langley Soryu chose freedom from this dead World. In reality she knew that she would die here one way or the other. Now with Shinji gone, why waste time waiting for the inevitable?

"Ikuhayo, Asuka…" She whispered to herself as she once again held the muzzle of the rifle up to her face. Her hands gripping the stock tightly as she positioned it in what she felt was the most likely way to achieve her end.

She took one last breath of the warm night air and braced herself as her right hand moved towards the trigger.

"Before you consider that, Second Child, I would like to discuss with you another option." A soft but oh so familiar voice came from behind her.

Asuka spun around in shock, her hands lifelessly dropping the forgotten rifle onto the sand at her feet.

"W-Wondergirl?" She gasped.

The other girl grimaced slightly before speaking again. "That is one name that you have called me in the past, Second Child. In truth I am not the Rei Ayanami that you knew in the past, though she is a part of me. I am both Lilith, what you would call the Second Angel and Rei Ayanami too. I was born anew in Third Impact and bound to the will of the Third Child. It was by his will that we created this World."

Asuka gaped at the young woman before her. Naked like herself, the being in front of her resembled the Rei Ayanami that she had known almost exactly. Although now her eyes were a deeper red and the sense of unease that she had always felt around the girl was magnified by an otherworldly aura that she couldn't quite place, but also felt strangely familiar at the same time.

"Yeah, well. As you can see, Lilith… Rei… Whoever you are, you did a great job with that one! You should have known that Baka couldn't be trusted to make a World in his own image. I mean, he's always been a total screw up, how was he ever gonna make this work?"

A look of sadness crossed Rei/Lilith's face. "It's true, Second Child, we did not expect that this World would be the outcome of Pilot Ikari's choice. We trusted that his desire to exist in the Human World, with all of its faults and pain, was the right one for Humanity and one that he could make work."

"Big mistake." Asuka interrupted.

"We could not foresee that he would have been so badly broken by his experiences that he was unable to conceive of a World that could be inhabited by the souls of others. Only you, Second Child, only you had the strength and will to return when he summoned you."

"Wait a second…" Asuka said outraged. "He summoned me? I think that you must be mistaken. I didn't come to be at his beck and call. I'm nobody's lapdog!"

"You would not be here if he had not wished it, Second Child." Rei/Lilith answered her. "Therefore you are the one person that he felt, even if it was subconsciously, that he needed to have with him. You, for whatever reason, are close to the centre of his World Pilot Soryu. Only you, it would seem, have the power to influence Shinji and save this World from death."

"Now you tell me!" Asuka yelled in exasperation. "It's a little fucking late for that now, isn't it? In case you hadn't noticed, Shinji's gone! This whole god-damned rock is just about dead and if you'll excuse me I've got an appointment with a .303 bullet that I'm already late for!"

Asuka bent down to pick up the rifle again but was stopped with gesture from the other girl.

"That is why I am here." The being said. "As I have said, only you have the power to influence Shinji and stop this World from dying. The best way to achieve this is to prevent it from having come into being in the first place."

Asuka looked at her in puzzlement. "Stop talking in riddles Wondergirl. Just say what you mean for once!"

The ethereal being managed to look a little annoyed at Asuka's interruption. "What I mean, Second Child, is that if you had been able to more positively influence the Third Child's state of mind in the time before Third Impact, then there is a chance that this dying World may never come in to existence at all. Thereby saving Humanity and the Earth from destruction."

"Ooookay…" Asuka answered dubiously. "So if I hadn't been such a bitch to Shinji all those months ago, maybe the World wouldn't be a big pile of shit right now. Sheesh, thanks for the pep talk Ayanami. I _really_ feel great about myself now. Way to rub salt into my wounds."

"You misunderstand Child. I am saying that there is a chance for you to go back and attempt to have a positive influence on the Third's mental state. The opportunity to put you in that place is narrow, so I must act now. But I am forbidden from acting without your consent."

"Right. So let me get this straight. You're offering me a chance to go back to before the Third Impact. Schmooze up to Shinji and make him feel like a big man. If I do that maybe, just maybe, the World doesn't die and I don't get stuck here all alone, having awkwardly naked conversations with the ghost of a girl that I hated."

"That would be a reasonably accurate summation, aside from a few minor points."

Asuka was silent for a moment. "Sure, What have I got to lose?"

The apparition seemed the slump her shoulders in relief. "That is well, Pilot Soryu. Without this opportunity, this World is doomed to die."

"So no pressure then!" Asuka answered sarcastically. "So what now? Do you wave your hands around and say a heap of mumbo jumbo, or what? I haven't got all day!"

xxxxx

"Haven't got all day for what Asuka?" Hikari asked, looking back at where Asuka sat at her desk in Classroom 2-A of Tokyo-3 Middle School.

The Class Representative looked on in shock as her best friend's eyes went wide and she stood up rapidly, knocking her plastic chair onto the floor behind her.

"What the _FUCK!_" The German girl screamed, much to the amusement of the rest of the class.

"Miss Soryu, is there a problem?" The Old Sensei asked, mercifully interrupting his latest History of the Second Impact lecture.

"This is not fucking real, this is not _fucking_ real!"

"Hey Kensuke, looks like the Devil's completely lost her shit!" Toji whispered to his spectacled friend.

"Had to happen sooner or later." Aida replied.

"Asuka, are you okay?" Shinji asked with concern for his house mate.

"This isn't real!" Asuka kept screaming. "You're all fucking _dead_! I saw it!"

"Miss Soryu! Contain your outburst and sit down!" That Sensei said in a futile attempt to return order to his class.

Asuka spun around and pointed an accusing finger at the desk where Rei Ayanami sat, watching her impassively from next to the window.

"You!" Asuka cried. "You did this didn't you! I wasn't fucking ready you _bitch_!"

"I am unsure as to what it is you are referring to, Pilot Soryu." Was the blue haired girl's answer.

"Arrrgh! I can't take this!" Asuka yelled. With her mind in overload she made a run for the door and away from the classroom. Unfortunately for her, Ryoko Aomori, a girl who had long resented the pretty foreign girl's stealing of her limelight, surreptitiously stuck her foot out as the German girl ran past. Sending her crashing headlong into the desks nearest the classroom door. Several gasps and a small smattering of applause rang out as Asuka lay there amongst the wreckage, a large gash on her forehead. She lay supine on the classroom floorboards, seemingly unconscious, apart from muttering "All dead. All dead. All dead. All dead…" Over and over to herself.

"Ikari and Class Representative Horaki. Please Take miss Soryu to the school Nurse. The rest of you, turn to page 216 of your 'History of the Second Impact." Textbooks"

Shinji and Hikari quickly attended to their fallen friend dragging her out into the corridor as the rest of the class groaned and returned to their books.

When it didn't seem that Asuka was returning to consciousness any time soon, Shinji used his mobile phone to call Misato who arranged to have NERV medical came and pick up the stricken girl straight away and bring her to the NERV Infirmary.

Shinji watched slightly enviously as Hikari sat holding Asuka's hand while they both waited for the NERV Ambulance to arrive.

**End Chapter 4 **

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><p>So there, finally, is the transition chapter. The change from post to pre-3I was supposed to be a jarring one, hopefully it was successful on that point and not to disorienting. It seemed the best way to convey Asuka's shock at the change.<p>

On a side note... This chapter was written in one day. I'm not bragging, it's more to point out that if there are any problems with it it was written in a rush of inspiration so I'm hoping that it doesn't suffer for it stylistically or story wise. Some of the earlier chapters took ages to write, especially chapter 2, so I just ran with this one while the going was good.

I'm terrible at self editing and have no poor long suffering pre-readers, so I hope that this chapter has been enjoyable to read and not just a mess!

From this point I shall be publishing chapters as I write them. I just felt the need to get the story to this place in the narrative to move onward from!

Cheers!**  
><strong>


	5. Terror, Like Charity, Begins at Home

So finally here is Chapter 5 of Unbroken! Massive Apologies for how long this has taken to be published. I struggled with a bit of writer's block with this chapter, but I think that I've managed to overcome it thanks to some good advice I was given a week or so ago! I'll try to keep the updates a little more timely, I hope, from here on in.

I don't own Evangelion or any of the characters portrayed in this story.

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><p><strong>Unbroken<strong>

**Chapter 5**

**Terror, like Charity, Begins at Home**

_Warmth._

_Warmth and voices._

_She knew that she was dreaming, because so often her dreams had been haunted by these long lost sensations. Sometimes the voices that came brought comfort to the girl. More often though the voices were harsh and accusing. Holding her in the thrall of the guilt that her survival had earned her._

_These voices seemed different though. Small snatches of conversations filtered through to her foggy mind._

"…_narcissistic personality disorder… " _

" …_mentally unstable…"_

"…_history of violent outbursts…"_

_The girl frowned but still seemed to be unable to open her eyes in this dream to see the person that was speaking, and whom it was that they were speaking about. _

_In her stupor she tried to reach out for the boy. Even on his catatonic state she had always found comfort in just holding him until the phantoms of her past had retreated._

_All her reaching hand found were cold metal bars that seemed to be blocking her access to the boy. Her arms felt restricted somehow, trapped and prevented from reaching out, cruelly blocked from finding her source of comfort._

_Asuka frowned further and let out a small moan. "Shinji…"_

_The voices paused in their dissection._

"_Senpai, I think that she's beginning to come around!"_

_Suddenly a strong hand grabbed hold of Asuka's face, two hard fingers holding her right eye open. A painfully bright light flooded her vision, causing her to whimper quietly. She tried to bring her hands up to her face to protect them from the assault, but again her arms were restricted by tight bonds at her wrists._

_As quickly as the attack started it was gone. Darkness, with the greenish ghost of the light still in her eye, returned to her World._

"_No, she's still out of it. The sedative we gave her should keep her under for another couple of hours. She's probably just dreaming."_

"_The poor thing." The other, gentler voice answered. "It seems so cruel what we do to these kids."_

"_They're not just kids, Maya. They represent an enormous investment in money and manpower. We have to keep them as pliable and functional as possible. The whole of this project relies upon them being able to perform when and where required!"_

"_I know that, Senpai." Said the other voice, growing softer as Asuka could sense the speakers moving away from her. "It-it just seems unfair."_

"_It's not important." Said the harder voice with impatience. "While she can perform, we'll use her. If's she's damaged, we'll have to find another. That's just the way it has to be. You can't afford to be blinded by sentiment." _

"_I suppose that you're right…"_

"_You know that I am. Have her brought to the second examination room when she wakes up."_

"_Yes Senpai."_

_The sound of a door opening and closing cut off the speakers from the girl's hearing. Eventually she stopped fighting against the weight of her being and drifted back into unconsciousness._

* * *

><p><strong>Second Examination Room. NERV Biological Research Wing. Central Dogma.<strong>

"This couldn't have been done back at the Infirmary?"

Nothing.

"Heh… Well, less witnesses this way I guess."

Still no response.

"So why, apart from your own personal predilections of course, do most of your _'examinations' _seem to require being as naked as a jaybird and trussed up like a Christmas goose?" Asuka was feeling seriously pissed off that _this_ was her welcome back to her old life.

The blonde Doctor just grunted in annoyance at the mixed avian simile and continued her examination. In desperation for a response of some kind Asuka looked over at Doctor Akagi's young assistant, who was studiously focused on the readout monitors and avoiding looking at the naked German girl.

"Do _you_ get off on this kind of stuff?"

"I… " Maya answered, looking up at her briefly before blushing and quickly ducking her head back down to the screen.

" 'Cos if you do, I'm more than willing to swap places with you and… Ahhh! Geez Doc, not so rough! Don't you know that oral thermometers have been the medical standard since Second Impact?"

"Temperature within acceptable norms." The Doctor said.

"Yes Ma'am." Replied Maya entering more data.

Asuka's blood was beginning to boil at the constant lack of regard that the two women were giving her. She knew that the peon at the monitors was innocent enough, but the Blonde doctor… Asuka frowned. She knew now that the bitch was almost as culpable in NERV's plotting as Gendo was. The high and mighty Doctor Ritsuko Akagi had been up to her ears in the plans to initiate Third Impact and the rest of the Commander's twisted plan ever since the "Tragic" demise of the even more brilliant Naoko Akagi.

Asuka's frown deepened into a scowl. _'Let's not forget,'_ She thought to herself. '_That after Mommy Dearest went of the high dive she took her place in the Commander's bed faster than you can say Electra Complex!'_

The Second Child's mounting anger and frustration went unnoticed by the two scientists. Asuka had to bite her lip as Ritsuko now examined her most private of areas.

"Note that the subject is still a virgin." The doctor said in an offhand manner to her assistant.

"Yes Ma'am."

"Why wouldn't I still be a virgin?" Asuka asked through clenched teeth.

Finally Ritsuko met her eyes. "I need to cover every possibility Asuka." The blonde scientist said to Asuka as if she were explaining something simple to a very stupid child. "Your behaviour today was out of the ordinary. I am required to ensure that nothing has happened to you that would jeopardise your ability to pilot."

"So you're saying that I can't pilot Eva if I've had sex?"

Doctor Akagi sucked her teeth in annoyance. "That would be highly unlikely. But having had sexual relations with another pilot may have a serious impact on both of your mental states. If that were the case, we would need to monitor that closely."

"_With another Pilot?"_ Asuka asked in a dangerously low voice. "What would make you think that I have had, or would have sex with Shinji?"

"Shinji would be the most likely candidate." The doctor answered matter-of-factly. "You live under the same roof, under the care of a lax and often absent guardian. You share almost all of your waking hours together. There's the added allure that his Father is the Commander of NERV and therefore one of the most powerful men on the Planet, and lastly… You were calling out his name in your sleep mere hours ago as you lay unconscious in the NERV infirmary." She finished with a triumphal smirk.

Asuka was seething at the woman's words. "You _would_ think that, _Doctor _Akagi." She spat out, her anger at the insinuations overriding her caution. "I know that's the way your mind works… Just like poor old Mommy dearest!" She saw Ritsuko's eyes go wide. "But I don't work that way, do you understand? But I will tell you one thing…" Asuka continued, unable to resist the urge to drive the dagger of truth home. "If I ever _do_ change my mind and want to get advice on _fucking_ an Ikari, I'll sure know who to come to!"

**SLAP**

The sound of Ritsuko's open hand smacking Asuka's face echoed in the tiny examination room. Asuka could hear Maya gasp over the ringing in her ears.

"Look here you cocky little bitch!" The Doctor snarled just inches from her face. "Don't go talking big about things you don't understand! You think you're so untouchable just because you're the pilot of an Eva? Let me tell you something, _little girl_. You are just about the most replaceable person in this whole organisation! You hear me? Compared to The First and Third Children you're really nothing more than a spare!"

Asuka smiled. She knew that she must have really touched a nerve in the good doctor. Clearly Ritsuko thought that this would be the best way to hurt her. In the past it would have probably been enough to break her completely. But to a girl that had been ripped apart by the Mass Production Evangelions, survived the Horrors of Third Impact and managed to scrape out a living amongst the privations of the post Impact World, a few spiteful words from someone as damaged and guilt ridden as Ritsuko Akagi were almost meaningless.

"Yeah, well… Thanks for the insight Doc. Can I go home now?"

The scientist's flushed face stared blankly at her for a few seconds.

"Senpai?" Came Maya's shell shocked voice from the other side of the room.

Finally Ritsuko seemed to come back to her senses. She took a step back and took off her glasses. "We're done here." She snapped. Throwing her examination gloves in the yellow trash bin.

"Great. Now where are my clothes?"

Maya handed her a blue plastic bag with her crumpled school uniform in it. The young tech then quickly shut down the monitors and other equipment before bowing to Dr Akagi and exiting the room.

"Major Katsuragi will pick you up from the main foyer in twenty minutes." Ritsuko said distastefully as the girl quickly dressed herself. "There's nothing physically wrong with you. You may attend school tomorrow as usual."

Asuka finished dressing and stood looking at the Doctor.

"I'll be keeping an eye on you Second Child. Don't fuck up."

"I'm flattered." Asuka replied with a small bow.

Ritsuko stared at her for a second before turning on her heel and quickly leaving. Asuka was now alone in the room.

She sighed and ran her hands through her soft red hair.

"Nice going Asuka!" She said to herself. "Too many more encounters like that one and they're gonna feed me to the Rei clones!" She shuddered at the thought. She used to be so scared of the Great Ritsuko Akagi. Third Impact had effected her feelings about a great many things. She now knew the Scientist for what she was, a damaged shell with Mommy issues. She found it almost impossible to respect, let alone fear the woman now.

Asuka left the tiny room, trying to slough off the weight of the unpleasantness that had gone on there. What had been said couldn't be unsaid, she'd have to live with that. Hopefully she hadn't done too much damage to her cause before she had even started.

No, she didn't fear Ritsuko or the Commander anymore. She had beaten them all before, and she would again if she had to. Now, though, a butterfly of fear began fluttering madly in her stomach. Now she would have to face what she really feared in this World. The one thing that she had been both dreading and anticipating since she had woken up.

Now she was going home.

* * *

><p>The darkened city sped by through the blue Alpine A310's windows.<p>

Misato Katsuragi looked across at her young charge with genuine concern. She knew that Asuka was under an enormous amount of stress. They all were. But what she had heard of the girl's outburst at school earlier in the day plus the obvious venom in Ritsuko's voice when she had rung Misato to say that Asuka was ready to be picked up from NERV showed her that Asuka was feeling the pressure way more than she had realised.

"Hey Asuka?"

"Hmmm?"

"You sure that you're doing okay?"

"Mmm." The Second Child replied noncommittally.

Misato's worry levels spiked even higher. In all of the years that she had known the redhead, she had never seen her so flat, so unresponsive. Asuka could always be relied upon for a pithy remark, an emotional outburst, or even the occasionally insightful analysis. Now it was almost as if the girl didn't know what to say, or maybe didn't care enough to be bothered to speak at all. For the whole trip home thus far the German girl had just stared out of the car's window. Seemingly transfixed by the bright lights and late night crowds of young couples gathered around the restaurants, grey suited salarymen packing the pachinko parlours, ramen stands and the rowdy Karaoke bars that always did a roaring trade of an evening in Tokyo-3.

Misato decided to try another tack. "You know Shinji has been really worried about you?"

Finally Asuka turned towards her. "He has?" She asked. Her voice showing some real emotion for the first time since Misato had picked her up from the Infirmary.

"Of course!" Misato replied. "You know that he cares a lot about you? We both do. I think that you really scared him today!"

The redhead's eyes shone with concern for a second before her face returned to its previous flat expression. "Yeah, well… He'll live." She said dully before returning her gaze to the outside World.

Misato sighed to herself and left it at that. The rest of the trip to the apartment building took place within the grip of an uncomfortable silence.

As the car rounded the final corner before the entry to the building's parking garage Asuka finally spoke up.

"M-Misato…" The girl said nervously. "Could you please stop here?"

The Major pulled to a halt just across from the entrance.

"What for Asuka?" She asked puzzled by the apparent anxiety in her voice.

"Just let me out here Misato!" The redhead responded. "I-I don't wanna go in there!" She seemed to be staring at the darkened entrance to the garage as if it were the maw of some terrifying beast.

"But it's the only way to the lifts. I'll just park the old girl in my usual spot and we'll be upstairs in just a few minutes!"

"No!" Asuka replied, opening the passenger door. "I… I'll take the stairs! I just can't go in this way right now… sorry!" Before Misato could say anything else the girl was out of the car and had slammed the door shut behind her.

Shaking her head as she guided the old Alpine into the car park Misato could feel the small butterfly of concern for Asuka in the pit of her stomach quickly transform into a circling kettle of vultures.

'_I think that you discharged her a little to early Ritsuko!' _Misato thought to herself on the solitary lift ride up to her floor. As she left the lift and approached her apartment she could see a lonely figure standing by the doorway slightly bent over with hands on knees.

"How did you get up here so quick?"

"Stairs." Was the breathless reply.

"You ran up seven flights of stairs in that time?" Misato asked incredulously.

"Uh-huh." Asuka panted.

"Why didn't you just come with me in the lift?"

The girl just stared at her and didn't answer.

Misato shrugged and entered the code to unlock the door. "You didn't have to wait for me, you know, you should've just gone in." She said over her shoulder as she stepped through the door, kicked off her shoes, and walked into the apartment.

She didn't see Asuka hesitate at the threshold, her eyes wide and breath coming in small gasps. The little panic attack she had suffered upon seeing the dark mouth of the building's parking garage had been unexpected. She had thought that she was stronger than that. The blind effort of sprinting up the stairs to this level had helped clear her head of that terror a little. Still, cross the threshold of Misato's apartment felt like breaching a point from which she would never be able to return. She looked down to see that her hands were shaking uncontrollably.

"This is fucking _ridiculous_!" She whispered to herself.

Clenching her fists and screwing her eyes shut she stepped across the boundary of the outside World and stood trembling in the small entryway of the Katsuragi household.

She opened her eyes. "Tadaima." She said quietly.

"Welcome home!" Came the shouted reply from the kitchen, startling her. She had forgotten about the Third Child's super sensitive hearing.

'_Ikuhayo, Asuka!'_ She said to herself before she carefully took off her own shoes and walked into the apartment's living areas.

"Dinner will be ready in ten minutes!" Shinji said loudly as she entered the kitchen. He had his back turned to her, working away at the stove top. Misato had gone to her room to change out of her work clothes, so it was just her and Shinji in there at the moment. Asuka pulled back a chair and sat at the kitchen table. The scene before her was so familiar and domestic, and yet so impossible that she just sat there and stared at the Third Child's back for five whole minutes without saying a word.

Her mind was running a loop of the events of the last year… _Her_ _last year_… of survival in the post Third Impact wastelands. She remembered standing of the beach holding the old rifle to her on that desolate shoreline . Then there was a jumble of unconnected images. Rei… Hikari… The Stooges…Then she had woken up to the warmth and brightness of the NERV Infirmary. Shortly following that she had been rather invasively probed and scanned by an increasingly hostile Dr Akagi and her nervous assistant… What was her name again? _Maya? _That was it, Maya. The one with the older brother who was killed in a car accident.

Wait… How the hell did she even _know_ that?

She leaned her head on her hands. That was right. Third Impact. That brief but excoriating mash up of the whole of Humanity's consciousness. Did that _really_ happen? Was the whole thing just a product of her overstressed imagination. Did this meek fourteen year old boy in front of her now really become God for a moment, only to reject eternal oneness and reduce the Earth to a frozen dying wasteland?

'_No, it didn't happen, because it hasn't happened… yet.'_ She frowned _'That doesn't even make sense!'_

Maybe she really was losing her marbles?

'…_only you have the power to influence Shinji and stop this World from dying. The best way to achieve this is to prevent it from having come into being in the first place.'_

Lilith/Rei's words to her from the beach echoed suddenly in her mind_._

'_What the fuck is __that__ supposed to mean anyway?'_ She thought.

"Asuka?"

She looked at her hands in front of her on the table. Her arms were clear and unscarred, the hands soft and fleshy. No blackened blisters from the frostbite or dry cracked knuckles here. It was too unreal. The image of herself in she carried and the one living in this World seemed irreconcilable in her mind.

"Asuka?" The voice asked again in a worried tone. She raised her head from her hands and looked, for the first time, into the deep blue worried eyes of Shinji Ikari. The Past and Future God and Destroyer of Worlds who stood before her wearing a dark green apron and pink oven mitts on his hands.

She said nothing in reply, she felt incapable of actually speaking at that time. She just stared dumbstruck at the boy that she had spent the last year of her life keeping alive, a boy who was now looking at her with deep concern in his eyes.

"Asuka," He repeated. "Are you okay?"

Her mouth opened and shut a couple of times without any sound coming forth. Finally she managed to say something.

"Yep." She strangled out. "Just great…uh… how're you?"

"Umm… Good thanks…" He replied nervously.

'_God, this is so awkward…' _Was the thought that ran through both Children's minds simultaneously.

They would probably have remained standing there, staring at each other and make excruciating small talk if not for the blessed arrival of their guardian and commanding officer into the kitchen at that moment.

"Hey Shinji! That smells great!" Misato said, sweeping into the small room like a tornado in cut-offs. In one sweeping motion she had taken a beer from the refrigerator, cracked it open, sat down opposite Asuka and was in the process of draining the can before either of them could even acknowledge her presence.

"Uh… Thanks Misato." Shinji replied, grateful to have an excuse to break the uncomfortable moment of eye contact with the Second Child.

Asuka shook herself mentally. She couldn't afford to just zone out right at this moment. She had to establish herself back in this World or she'd quickly arouse suspicions. Not just of Misato or her classmates either. Her little altercation with Dr Akagi had been a major error of judgement. She would have to have a lot more self control than that if she was going to succeed.

Still, Asuka could probably count herself lucky. Of all of the causes for her outbursts she doubted that her reacting to the stress of being sent back nearly two years from a post apocalyptic dead World was likely to even be on their list of possible reasons! Although she would have to be careful. She knew that if Ritsuko or anyone else suspected the slightest thing was out of place then Commander Ikari would likely know also. She knew all to well what he was capable of if he even suspected the slightest threat to his scenario.

She shuddered to herself at the thought while her two housemates bickered meaninglessly around her. She knew that Rei/Lilith had tasked her with preventing Shinji from slipping into despair and basically destroying life as she knew it. What the ethereal being had failed to fill her in on was how exactly she was to achieve that end.

She looked at her fellow Evangelion Pilot as he continued to talk to Misato. _'Gott, he's so young!'_ She thought. Then again. So was she… _now_. She had seen him during Third Impact. She knew of the shitty hand that life had dealt him from the time he was four. She knew it all too well. The dead Mother, the dismissive and cold Father, the loneliness of a childhood spent in the care of disinterested adults. She had been playing from the same deck for her whole life as well. The difference was… What? What had turned him into the unresponsive shell that she had been dragging around post Impact Hakone for the last year of her life?

She started as Shinji laughed at one of Misato's crude attempts at humour. His face captured her attention. It shone when he smiled. For the last year his affect had be flat and lifeless. Now, watching him smile and bicker with their guardian Asuka could almost feel that tears begin prickling at her eyes at the astonishing difference in the boy. The cares sloughed off him and he almost seemed transcendent to her.

This was the real Shinji. The one that had been killed off long before the horror of Third Impact. That would be her task. To preserve this boy that she saw before her from the ravages of what was to come.

'_Oh shit…'_ She thought to herself as she thought of what the next few months would hold. _'I… I don't know how I'm gonna do this!'_

A light tapping at her leg brought her attention back to the present. She looked down at Pen-Pen as he pecked gently at her leg demanding attention, and probably fish. She ruffled his head feathers with her hand and he cooed with pleasure.

"Hey little guy." She said to the bird with real surprise and pleasure. "Long time no see!"

The bird just tilted his head and squawked at her quizzically. She felt she could almost read his tiny avian mind. _'Less talk and more fish, Lady!'_ He seemed to say.

Asuka giggled at the thought. Which finally brought the attention of her two housemates back to her.

"Hey, kiddo!" Misato said cheerfully. "You doing okay?"

Despite all of her swirling thoughts Asuka could feel a smile forming on her lips. She knew now she was with people, the only people in the World except maybe for Hikari of course, who knew her and cared for her. Just for who she was.

"Yep," She answered. "I reckon that I am." The smile still plastered across her face.

"Glad to hear it." Misato answered before finishing her beer. The chair scraped on the linoleum floor as she stood up to go to the fridge and get another one.

Asuka noticed that Shinji was still standing there, looking at her with a nervous smile on his face. She tilted her head at him in a was that she knew from years of experience was irresistibly kawaii.

"Yes, Shinji?" She asked.

He looked startled for a second, before the sound of Misato humming softly as she rummaged in the fridge for another can seemed to spur him into action.

"I-I'm glad that y-you're okay too, Asuka." He said blushing.

Asuka could feel the heat rising in her own face as they stared at each other. The silence in the room seemed overwhelming suddenly as even the sound of Misato questing for her next beer ceased.

"Shinji…" Asuka replied, staring deeply into his deep blue eyes.

"Y-Yes Asuka?"

"Your noodles are boiling over."

He frowned in confusion for a second. "What…? Ah crap!" he exclaimed as he quickly rushed back to the stovetop to turn the heat on the burners down.

"Was-was that just a 'moment'?" Misato said staring at the space that had been between the two pilots.

Asuka started out of her reverie and looked up at where her guardian was standing.

"Maybe… " Was all that she said.

* * *

><p>Asuka groaned as she flopped backwards onto her bed.<p>

"Ahhh… Clean sheets and a full belly…" She sighed to the empty room. It had been so long since she had eaten a proper home cooked meal made with real fresh meat and vegetables. She groaned again as she felt her distended stomach. Misato and Shinji had been a little dumbfounded watching her inhale second and third helpings of the beef and soba noodle dish that he had prepared for them. It felt like it was the single most delicious meal that she had ever eaten in her entire life. She had even complimented the Third Child on his cooking, which had seen raised eyebrows and even a shared glance between her two housemates.

Asuka barely noticed as she continued eating until there was no more food left to be served.

After Shinji had finished washing up they had all watched some television for an hour or so. Sprawled on their various cushions and watching some ridiculous game show where contestants dressed as prawns had to run past a man in a giant foam rubber chef suit for no readily apparent reason. Misato cheered loudly when one of the contestants was caught by the chef and flung bodily into a giant pot. The unreality of it made Asuka's head spin.

It was all too weird. Too… normal. Had the last nearly two years of her life actually happened? The horrors of that year seemed more real to the girl than what she was experiencing there in the lounge room of Misato's apartment. The snarling face of the bob-tailed wolf mere inches from her face as she had crushed the life from it with her bare hands. The smell of the old rifle as she had held it to her head, the dark muzzle somehow threatening and beckoning at the same time. These images all flashed in her mind vividly. Making Asuka feel a weird sense of disconnection with what her eyes and ears were telling her.

She stood up suddenly, causing her housemates to look at her questioningly.

"I'm going to take a bath." She announced and fled to the bathroom.

The sheer blissful luxury of running hot water made her question for a second whether she actually had pulled the trigger on that beach and was now in heaven. She soaked in the tub for over an hour. Topping up the hot water every time the bath threatened to cool down on her.

As she soaked she tried her best to figure out exactly when she was in the pre-Impact time-line. Toji had been at school so it was before the 13th Angel, but beyond that she was at a complete loss to figure it all out.

Deciding eventually that the danger of turning into a prune was becoming too high she climbed out of the bath and briskly dried herself off with a large, clean fluffy towel. After she had finished she finally, and for the first time that day, braved a look in the mirror.

Asuka gasped at the healthy young girl that stared back out at her. No scars marked her body. There were no signs of the gruesome entry and exit wounds that had pitted her flesh before. The eyes of the girl were bright with vivid blue irises that shone in the fluorescent light of the bathroom. Her ribs and hip bones no longer protruded gauntly from beneath her skin. She marvelled at the transformation that had occurred in her appearance. Snapping herself out of it she picked up her old toothbrush and began to scrub her teeth.

"Asuka, are you gonna be in there much longer? I need to use the can!" Came Misato's voice from the other side of the door, rudely interrupting her reverie.

Quickly Asuka rinsed her mouth out, wrapped one towel around her body and another around her hair and opened the door to reveal her slightly tipsy guardian standing leaning on the door jamb in front of her.

"All done." She said. "Try not to miss the bowl in there!"

"Har-de-har-har!" Misato replied sardonically as she pushed past her into the bathroom and shut the door.

Asuka headed for her own room and slid the door shut behind her.

The luxurious feeling of putting on clean a clean fresh long cotton t-shirt for sleeping in left her feeling almost light-headed and she flopped down on her bed sighing with contentment at the long forgotten sensations of a full stomach and settling down in a clean, comfortable bed. She lay there staring at the ceiling for what could have been an hour before she eventually Asuka heard Misato and Shinji bidding each other goodnight. Soon all was silent in the apartment as her two housemates slipped into the world of sleep.

No sleep would come to Asuka though. Despite the comfort and warmth of her bed she tossed and turned without rest ever coming any closer. After another hour she finally tossed her pillow across the room in frustration and got out of bed and walked to her bedroom door.

She opened the door a little and looked out. No sounds nor signs of life stirred within the silent apartment. She stepped out of her room and padded quietly down the hallway to the next siding door with its heart shaped sign designating it "Shinji's Lovely Suite". Asuka put her ear to the door and listened. No sound but the heavy breathing of slumber could be heard.

Sliding the door open gingerly she stepped inside. Her heart was pounding loudly in her chest as she slowly walked until she was standing next to the small bed that lay next to the window in the sparsely furnished room.

In front of her lay the sleeping form of the Shinji Ikari. His breathing was steady and even, a gentle breeze from the open window ruffled his dark hair. Asuka smiled sadly to herself as she noticed a slight frown on his brow. Even in sleep it seemed the Third Child struggled to find peace.

"Poor Baka-Shinji." She whispered softly. The boy muttered in his sleep and rolled over, now facing away from her.

"I-I don't know how I'm gonna do this Shinji." She said gently to the sleeping form. "I'm not sure I can face all of that again…" A tear rolled down the redhead's cheek. "But…I-I promise I won't let them destroy you th-this time. No matter what else I do. I promise that I'll make it better…" Asuka sniffed, causing the boy to shift uneasily in his bed. "Sleep tight Shinji-kun." She said gently leaning over him. A stray tear fell and splashed onto his face, Asuka turned and fled the room before her fears and emotions got the better of her.

In his room Shinji Ikari awoke with the feeling that he had missed something vitally important. He looked around him and saw that the door to his bedroom was slightly ajar. Which was weird, as he always kept it closed of a night time. He put a hand to his cheek feeling an unexpected wetness there. A couple a drops of moisture clung to his finger. On an unexplainable impulse he put the finger to his lips. It tasted salty, but strangely sweet.

He got up and went to his door way and looked out into the apartment. No sign of movement could be seen in the darkened abode.

He shut the door and went back to bed. It sure had been a weird day, but he was sure that things would get back to a more normal routine tomorrow.

Shinji rolled over onto his side and was soon off to sleep again. The lingering taste of salt on his lips did seem to lead him into some very strange dreams though.

Back in her room Asuka struggled with the nagging fear of what the next morning would bring. She knew that from the moment that she woke up the next day she would have to try enact some kind of plan to keep the Third Child safe from the machinations of his Father and divert him from the path that Fate had chosen for him.

"Great!" She muttered to herself. "One fourteen year old girl under almost constant surveillance has to thwart the plans of the most powerful men in history. Should be a piece of cake!"

Only the silence of the City at night answered her.

"If I ever meet that Lilith/Rei thing again, I'm going to kick it's ethereal ass!"

Eventually the Second Child did manage to find some semblance of peace in slumber.

* * *

><p><strong>End of Chapter 5.<strong>

A/N: This chapter is kind of a bridging one in this story. So sorry if it was a little light on action and such. It was a very hard one for me to write. (I think it was karma getting back at me for saying that the previous chapter only took me one day to write!)

Any feedback is _always_ gratefully received!

Thanks as always for reading.

Cheers!

Donderkind.


	6. You Are Here

A/N: As usual, I have to apologise for how long I've taken to get this next chapter up. Christmas craziness combined with a bit of a funk, for want of a better term, kinda threw the creative anchor out for a few weeks there.

That's behind me for now, so hopefully more frequent updates to follow. No promises this time though, as I'm worried that the guilt of breaking said promises could become habit forming!

So here it is, chapter 6 of Unbroken. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I herewith renounce any and all claims to own Neon Genesis Evangelion. I admit now that it was foolish to have ever done so in the first place. (I kid Anno-san! The whole world knows that it's yours and respective Copyright holders and distributors. Nuf sed.)

* * *

><p><strong>Unbroken<strong>

_{"Où sont les hommes ?" Reprit enfin le petit prince. "On est un peu seul dans le désert…"  
>"On est seul aussi chez les hommes," dit le serpent.}<em>

_"Where are the people?" resumed the little prince at last. "It is a little lonely in the desert..."  
>"It is lonely when you're among people too," said the snake. <em>

Le Petit Prince (1943) Antoine de Saint Exupéry.

**Chapter 6**

**You Are Here**

The sea looked like it had started to congeal since last she stood on its ragged shoreline. In the distance the massive and ghastly visage of Rei Ayanami protruded from the rank waters, no doubt adding its own putrefaction to the atmosphere of death and decay on the planet.

The girl saw that once again she was naked. The vile scars and fissures of her body standing out on her pale skin like contours on a map of her psyche.

"Oh, you have _got _to be fucking with me!" Asuka said in disbelief.

"I do not understand this metaphor Second Child. I have not attempted any form of physical contact between us at this time."

She turned around to face the speaker. The pale form of Rei/Lilith stood once again beside her on the beach, her deep crimson eyes regarded her expectantly.

"What the Hell am I doing _here_?" Asuka asked angrily.

"I do not wish for you to feel that I have completely abandoned you on your current plane of existence. I observe and advise where I feel that I am able to."

"Great, why don't you go and observe and advise Shinji to smack his Old Man upside his head with Unit One and cheer the fuck up while you're at it, it would save _me_ a whole lot of time and effort!"

Rei/Lilith narrowed her eyes in what could have been annoyance at Asuka's suggestion.

"I cannot physically intervene in that plane of being, as I already exist there in another form. If I were to physically manifest in that world the paradox that would erupt from that moment could destroy me. Therefore I can only advise from outside of that plane. I do not as yet wish for destruction."

"So instead you drag me back here looking like this? Thanks a bunch!"

"This place and your current appearance are constructs of your own self image. I have merely sought to contact you within their boundaries to advise you on matters of importance."

"Terrific." Asuka said sarcastically. "Then can I ask you a couple of questions?"

"Of course."

"Why did you send me back to this point in time? Not that I'm even sure _when_ it actually is yet. Why not send me back to the 'Over the Rainbow'? Then I could have surely made a bigger difference right from the get-go!"

"You have been sent to a point prior to events that may tip the balance in the development of the Third Child's descent into despair and desolation."

"Super." Asuka said dryly.

"I have decided to converse with you at this moment to tell you that time is growing short for trying to prevent such developments from occurring. You must not delay too much longer in your efforts in reaching the Third Child. In but a short time it may be too late."

"So you're telling me to '_Hurry up'_?"

Rei/Lilith just stared at her.

"Let's get this straight. I only _just_ got back and now you're telling me to _hurry up_!" Asuka said in annoyance. "_Fine_. Another thing. What was the big idea in sending me back right in the middle of class then? Everyone seems to think that I'm certifiably insane now!"

"I apologise." Rei/Lilith replied with what could almost be described as the ghost of a smirk. "It was not my intention to inconvenience you. I merely chose the moment that seemed best suited to your re-integration into your old life."

"Bullshit! You were just getting back at me for all of the times we used to fight when you were just plain old Wondergirl! Back before you were on this whole ethereal being kick that you're on now!"

"Think what you will, Pilot Soryu." Was the somewhat prim reply. "Though I feel that it would benefit you to treat my former self with more compassion than previously."

"I'll consider it, but you're asking a lot of me already!"

Once again the Angel/Human hybrid narrowed her eyes and looked at Asuka with what was definitely, in the German girl's opinion, an expression of annoyance.

"We will talk again Second Child…" Rei/Lilith said as the ruined shoreline grew dark around her.

"Can't wait!" Asuka replied as the scene disappeared to be replaced by blackness and the distant sound of chalk on a blackboard. She opened her eyes and sat up from where she had been dozing at her desk.

'_Oh great,' _She thought._ 'Miss Arima's Art History class! At least I didn't miss anything important.' _

Miss Arima was the beret-clad-black-polo-neck-wearing-greying-fifty-something Art teacher. She had once, in her early twenties, toured the great Western art museums of Paris and the Vatican and had been so impressed that she had been inspired to spend the rest of her life sucking the life and joy out of the visual arts for successive generations of her students back in Japan.

Needless to say that the interminable boredom of these classes caused many students to remember with fond nostalgia the Second Impact droning of their old Sensei.

Asuka let her head fall listlessly back onto her folded arms. At least she should be able to catch up on some much needed sleep.

* * *

><p>Asuka sat alone in the sunshine at one of the benches with a notepad on the table in front of her. From her vantage point she watched the interactions of her fellow classmates. It was like seeing all of them from a whole new perspective. The petty jealousies, politics and school-yard machinations of the 'popular' students. The awkward first bumbling steps of teenagers of the opposite sex attempting to communicate with each other. The group of third year boys that were strutting and scuffling with each other in front of another group of giggling girls. The disinterested gaze of the teacher on yard-duty scanning the quadrangle as she chastised a group of first year boys for throwing stones at each other. The whole scene had both a dynamism and a subliminal savagery that she had never noticed before.<p>

She smiled a wry smile to herself. The last time she had sat out there she had been a vital part of it all. A driving force in the cliques and hierarchies of the schoolyard social order. Now she sat apart form it all and saw it for what it truly was. Meaningless window dressing on the struggle to survive.

The old saying that Civilisation is only ever three square meals away from anarchy was expounded by old men who had long forgotten the barbarism of their schooling, Asuka thought. The seeds of Humanity's fall appeared before her in her fellow students of the Tokyo-3 Middle School. Anarchy and violence it seemed were inborn characteristics. Humanity truly was a flawed species that would inevitably destroy itself the instant it gained that capability _and_ happily remain well fed while it did so.

Asuka shook her head to try and clear it of the dark path that her thoughts were taking her down and opened up her note book. The crisp white page reflected the sunlight blindingly into her squinting eyes. She needed a plan. Some kind of blueprint so that her actions would be less random and more purposeful in gaining the end she sought. She shuffled down to the more shaded end of the bench and sat with her pen poised over the blank page waiting for the ideas to flow.

Ten minutes later all that her page contained was several elaborate spirals and a super-deformed drawing of a rabbit.

Asuka growled in irritation and threw the pen back down on the table. She was getting nowhere. She stared back out at the schoolyard before her. The first year boys were now picking up papers from the ground under the inattentive supervision of the teacher on yard duty. Several of the Third year boys, seemingly given up on impressing the giggling group of girls, were now occupied dragging one of their number around the yard by his ankles. While other groups of students traveled in groups chattering to each other about what seemed to the German girl completely inconsequential things.

A flash of blue then caught her eye across the other side from where she sat. Homing in on it she made out the pale form of Rei Ayanami, satchel slung over her shoulder, making her way across the quadrangle completely oblivious to the students around her. She also noticed how, despite her unique appearance, the First Child was completely unregarded by her fellow students. No one looked, spoke to or even appeared to notice her pass amongst them like a ghost.

No. She was wrong about that. Apart from her own, one other set of eyes followed the blue haired girl as she walked across the schoolyard and through the gateway and out of the school. In his usual spot, leaning against the library building wall between Aida and Suzuhara, she saw Shinji watch their fellow pilot walk by until a none too gentle whack on the back of the head and some unheard teasing by his friends made him blush and appear to sputter ineffectively against their taunts.

Asuka smiled seeing Shinji with his friends. She had failed to see in her past life how he relied on them for some semblance of normalcy in his life. In some ways she envied him that.

Seeing her fellow pilots like that she decided to try again with her planning. Like all good planners, she started by listing what she knew about the important players in Shinji's life. Specifically starting with the three Evangelion pilots themselves.

After a couple of short minutes writing she looked at what she had written:

_Shinji Ikari: Troubled shy boy with Father Issues (she felt that it had needed capitalisation) and low self esteem. Through the mechanism of Third Impact becomes God. Rejects godhood and destroys world._

_Rei Ayanami: Artificial human. Socially inept to extreme degree. Instrument of divine will and trigger of Human Instrumentality who places God like powers in the hands of Shinji Ikari thereby enabling him to reject Instrumentality and destroy world._

_Me: Girl who pisses both of them off._

Asuka pouted and stared at the page. "This was a _really_ bad idea." She said disconsolately.

"Hey Asuka! There you are!"

Asuka snapped the notebook shut and looked up at the speaker.

"Oh, hey Hikari."

"I've been looking all over for you!" The pig-tailed Class Rep said.

"Well, here I am in all of my glory!" Asuka replied sardonically.

"Um… yeah." Hikari said before sitting down on the bench next to her.

They sat there for a moment quietly before Hikari turned and looked at her friend with a concerned look on her face.

"Asuka, are you doing okay?"

"Oh yeah, never better!"

The Class Representative's face showed her doubt. "Are you sure? You gave us all a big scare the other day, you know? Is there something you want to talk to me about?"

"Ummm… " Asuka thought for a second about how her friend would react to being told about the last year of her life, but dismissed the thought as bordering on insane. Looking around her at the warm sunny surroundings bustling with life and noise she wasn't too sure if she believed it herself. "No, not really. Just working through some stuff right now is all. I'm fine."

"I'm glad to hear it Asuka." Her friend said with a warm smile. "Just remember that I'm here if you need me."

"I don't _need_ your help, Hikari." Asuka said with more force than she meant. "I-I mean. I'm okay. Just let it go. I don't want to talk about it!" She rested her head sullenly on her chin and stared out at the milling students in front of her.

"Okay." Hikari answered with a smile. She was used to such outbursts from her best friend. To her mind a reaction like that was a comforting sign that the fiery German was returning to her normal state of mind. Watching the other girl carefully she gauged her best moment to broach the subject that was currently occupying her mind.

"Um… Asuka?" She said tentatively.

"Yeah?"

"I-I was talking to Kodama the other day… You remember Kodama?"

Asuka searched her memory for a moment, it was a name that she hadn't thought of for a very long time. "Umm… Oh yeah! Your floozy of an older sister!"

Hikari's mouth twisted for a second, as if she wanted to argue with Asuka's description of her much adored older sister. Then she seemed to decide that it wasn't worth it. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." She finally allowed.

"What about her?"

"Wellll… She's got this friend… Aaaand he knows about you being a famous _and_ beautiful Evangelion pilot…"

"Which is perfectly true." Asuka interrupted. "However the identities of the pilots are _supposed_ to remain classified information!"

"Anyway," Hikari continued, ignoring Asuka's interruption. "Kodama has kind of promised him that you would go out on a date with him."

"She _what_?"

"Kodama says that he's a really nice guy and she owes him a favour!" The pig-tailed girl continued hurriedly. "It would be just one date, tonight at the Old Hakone Fairground. Please say that you'll do it Asuka! Please?" She begged.

Asuka had already opened her mouth to shoot her friend's ridiculous plan down in flames when her eyes suddenly went wide and she was unable to hide her gasp of astonishment.

"Tonight, at the Old Hakone Fairground? Are you sure?"

"Huh?" Hikari replied with some confusion. "Is that too soon? Kodama kinda insisted that it be tonight, but I can tell her to make it another night if you like."

"No, no, that's not it! If it's tonight then Shinji must be going to the cemetery to meet with his father! Now I _finally_ know what's going on around here! Thank you Hikari!"

"Ummm… sure Asuka, no problem! I thought that you'd be angry at me for trying to set you up like this! I've got to go and let Kodama know right away. She said that he'll meet you at the main gate around seven-thirty!"

"Wait a minute… what?"

The excited Class Rep was already getting up from her seat and moving away from a slightly bewildered Asuka. "Thanks a heap Asuka! I owe you one!"

"But… but… Ah scheiße!" The German girl swore as she realised what had just happened. '_Oh well…' _She thought_. 'At least I know when I am now. I'll just ditch the guy after a couple of rides and get back home before nine.'_

The chimes sounded to signal the end of the lunch break. Asuka gathered up her notebook and pen and walked back towards the school buildings with a lighter step than she had before.

Now she knew where she was in the scheme of things. Now she could really start to get things rolling.

* * *

><p>Nothing else existed at that moment.<p>

The rise and fall of the melody filled the small apartment with its rich mellow tones. He was lost in the movement of the bow across the strings and the positioning of the fingers of his left hand as they effortlessly moved up and down the strings as the sheet music in front of him required.

The boy found peace in those moments. In the peaks and troughs of the music he played the cares and worries of the world no longer crowded his mind. The events of the meeting with his father at the gravesite were a world away from him in that moment. It was just him and the music joining as one.

Slowly the piece came to its conclusion and he sat there breathing deeply as the last note died away and the apartment was silent once more.

Silent that was until the sound of clapping came from behind him. Shinji started. He had been so lost in the music that he hadn't even heard the door opening. He turned around.

"Uh… Hi Asuka. H-How long were you there for?"

"Long enough to be mightily impressed, Third Child! You play well, and Bach no less! Good to see you playing the music of a great German composer too!"

"Th-Thanks Asuka. I-I'm not very good."

"False modesty is very unbecoming Third! You're good, very good. If _I_ say you're good you'd better just accept it!"

Shinji smiled shyly and started to pack his cello away. Asuka moved out of the shadow of the doorway and into the main room.

Shinji got a good look at his housemate and almost dropped his cello in shock.

"Asuka, you're hurt!"

"What, this?" She replied gesturing to the scrape above her left eye and torn and dirty green dress. "No, not really. I've just got a couple of scratches. You should see the other guy!"

"What happened?" Shinji asked in concern.

"Oh, my date just got a bit gropey after he'd paid for me to go on three rides and bought me two hot dogs and some candy-floss." Asuka replied lightly. "He seemed to feel that I owed it to him to 'Put out' as he described it and called me a 'Stuck up little slut' after I slapped him for, how do I put it? Touching the goods without permission!"

"Oh my God Asuka!" Shinji exclaimed with wide eyes. "How did your dress get all torn?"

"Well, then he got a little physical and dragged around the back of some of the trailers at the fairgrounds and tried to rip my dress off, well that was until I rendered him probably unable to ever have children that is." Asuka said proudly. "Finally those goons from Section 2 showed up and dragged him off. Hopefully to some deep dark hole somewhere. Filthy pervert! Next time I see that Kodama I'm gonna kick her fat ass from here to Itoshima!"

"Are you sure that you're alright. I should call Misato! I can't believe he tried to molest you!" She was surprised to see real anger in his eyes. "If anything had happened to you I-I'd…"

"Shinji!" Asuka interrupted. "I'm fine! _Really_! I've dealt with a _lot_ worse than some handsy gorilla with his brain stuck in his pants before. No to mention that Misato's probably puking in some back alley herself right now and in no fit state to do anything. You _know_ how much she drinks at weddings! I'm _fine_! I just want to have a shower, get out of these clothes and take it easy for the rest of the night!"

"O-Okay…" Shinji replied unconvinced. He was about to let her go when an idea struck him. "Do you want me to clean up that scrape for you?" He blurted out in one rapid sentence.

Asuka cocked an eyebrow at his daring. Shinji quickly blushed and dropped his head.

"S-Sorry…"

The German girl smiled to herself at the boy's discomfort. Feeling the heat rise in her own face she replied.

"Sure, that would be nice." Asuka said, pulling one of the kitchen chairs out to the side and sitting herself down on it expectantly.

Shinji stared at her open mouthed for a few seconds.

"Whenever you're ready, Third Child!"

"Uh… yeah." He quickly went over to the cabinet where the first aid supplies were kept. Placing the tub on the table he took out some plastic vials of saline solution and some cotton wool buds and laid them out next to where she was sitting.

Asuka closed her eyes and raised her head slightly so as to make it easier for him to reach the graze on her forehead. "Okay, I'm ready." She said.

She head him swallow loudly. "Uh-huh."

She smiled to herself as she head him fumble and drop one of the vials onto the kitchen floor. Muttering he picked it up and twisted the top off and used it to wet the cotton wool.

Asuka jumped slightly in her seat as the wet cotton touched the side of her face. It was strangely soothing to feel its coolness against the irritated skin of her forehead. Shinji apologised as a trickle of saline ran down her cheek, but she ignored it. His fingers were cool and gentle as they rested against her skin to help him gently clean the dry blood and dirt from her face. She could feel herself becoming lost in the moment with his soothing touch on her skin and his rhythmic breathing as he lost himself in the concentration required for the task.

The tenderness of it was intoxicating. It was, she suddenly realised, what she had missed and craved the most during her lonely year with him in the post Impact wasteland. Just the sheer simple action of human care and physical touch seemed to reach some basic primal part of her soul. She realised that she had almost forgotten what it felt like to be touched by another human being.

That revelation brought her back to herself. Her eyes flew open to find herself staring straight into the deep blue eyes of Shinji, his brow still furrowed in concentration.

"I-I think that it's clean now Shinji." She said quietly.

"Uh… yeah. I think it is.." He answered awkwardly as he straightened back up, his face still a faint shade of red. "Are you sure that you're okay?"

"Of course I'm sure that I'm okay! I'm the one and only Asuka Langley Soryu, slayer of Angels! It'll take more than one pea-brained pervert to get to me!"

"I'm glad to hear that. It's just that you're hands are shaking." Shinji replied with a smirk.

Asuka looked down at her hands, which were betraying her by shaking visibly. Quickly she clasped them together in her lap and narrowed her eyes at Shinji. "I'm _fine_."

A few more moments passed in awkward silence. Finally Asuka spoke.

"I'd better take that shower now."

"Okay."

"A coffee would be nice when I come back out, _Shinji-kun_!" She said in her sweetest voice.

"Sure."

"None of that that instant crud either!"

"Sure."

"And one more thing Shinji."

"Yes?" He answered wearily.

"Thanks for the Florence Nightingale performance, I really appreciate it!"

"Uh.. sure, no problem Asuka!" Shinji said in surprise.

xxxxxxxxx

Asuka sat at the kitchen table and nursed her precious cup of coffee in her hands lovingly. It had been waiting for her as she had come out of her bedroom after her shower. She had left the steaming bathroom and dashed to her bedroom to change into a comfortable loose yellow t-shirt and shorts.

The luxurious heat of the shower had cleansed her of the rest of the dirt and feeling of violation that her unpleasant episode with her date had left her with. Now sitting comfortably in the kitchen, caffeine beginning to work its magic on her tired mind, she felt more truly at home than she had since her return back to Tokyo-3.

Shinji sat on the floor nearby, lost in the music on his S-DAT player. She knew that he hung onto that antiquated piece of junk because his father had given it to him nearly ten years earlier on one of his infrequent visits to the young boy. It had been a throwaway gesture of something that the older Ikari no longer wanted, but the young Shinji had clutched onto the battered player like a lifeline. To him it was some small proof that his father still, in some way, cared for him. Even after all of these years, even though he usually professed to despise his father, it was Shinji's most precious possession.

Asuka's mouth twisted. _'Cruel bastard' _She thought.

"Hey Shinji!" She said.

Shinji pulled the ear buds out and turned off his S-DAT. "Hmm?"

"How did things go today?" Asuka asked him.

"Huh?"

"Are you dense or something? At the cemetery with your dad, how did it go?"

"Oh, okay I guess." He answered.

"Okay? Care to expand on that?"

The young Ikari's face took on a thoughtful expression. "It… It was good, I guess. I talked with Father… I think that I understand him better now. He talked to me about how he uses his memories of Mother to keep going… and stuff."

"Wow." Asuka said with some sarcasm. "_"Stuff"_ you say? How insightful that must have been!"

Shinji frowned in confusion at her tone. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that you're fooling yourself if you think that you ever really can understand another person Shinji! Your father will tell you those things because that's what he wants you to hear, but you can never really know what motivates him, what is really going on in his mind. You're a fool if you think that you can!"

"I… Uh… Sorry."

Asuka sighed in exasperation. "_Please_ don't say you're sorry for expressing your opinion. I didn't mean to be harsh on you, Shinji. I just don't want you to waste your life hanging onto the hope of something that may never happen."

He just stared at her without speaking. Asuka struggled to think of what to say next. So far her plans of reaching the boy were failing miserably. She knew that she couldn't just out and tell him that his father merely saw him as a tool to help him get his wife back, but she needed to get through to him somehow. She had to free him from his forlorn hope that his father would ever acknowledge him.

"I… I'm sorry Shinji." She said, causing the boy's eyes to widen slightly. "Friends?" She said holding out her hand.

"Friends." Shinji answered her, taking her hand in his and shaking it gingerly.

"That's better." Asuka said sitting back down at the table and taking another sip at her mug. "Great coffee by the way!"

"Thanks." Shinji answered with a smile. They lapsed back into a comfortable silence.

"I wonder when Misato will get home?" Shinji said out of the blue.

"I dunno." Asuka replied. She had almost forgotten again about their guardian being out at that wedding for most of the evening. She did remember her coming home very much the worse for wear that night… _'This night' _She corrected herself. Asuka knew that she couldn't bee too far away. The first time around Misato and Kaji had nearly caught her and Shinji… '_Oh my God!' _Asuka thought._ 'That's perfect! I had nearly forgotten all about it!'_

"Well, I'm going to brush my teeth!" Asuka exclaimed suddenly as she pushed the chair back from the table. Shinji looked on a little perplexed as she disappeared into the bathroom. The sound of running water and the buzz of an electric toothbrush came faintly to where he sat.

After rinsing and wiping her face the redhead reappeared from the bathroom and sat back down in the kitchen facing him.

"Hey Shinji!" She said, a slight blush colouring her cheeks.

"Um… Hey Asuka." He replied uncertainly.

"You wanna kiss?"

"Huh!" Shinji replied with a gulp.

"You know, kissing!" She said puckering her lips up to demonstrate. "Have you ever done it before?"

"Uh-uh." The boy shook his head.

"Well, come on then, let's do it!"

"How come?" Shinji said with some confusion.

"How come?" She repeated incredulously. "What do you mean '_how come'_?"

"I-It just seems k-kind of sudden." He stammered.

She smiled at him. "You got anything better to do? Or are you scared?"

He stood up. "I'm not scared!" He said forcefully. "Pucker up!"

"That's more like it! Here I come!" Asuka strode purposefully towards the boy.

'_No hesitation this time Asuka' _She said to herself_. 'And no nearly asphyxiating him either!'_

Now they were standing right in front of each other. Asuka stared into his deep blue eyes. "Put your arms around me." She breathed. "I won't bite you!"

Gingerly she felt his arms encircle her and press against her back. She did the same to him. "Unless you _ask_ me to!" She said with an evil smile.

Wisely Shinji said nothing.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head forward, she felt Shinji do the same. She could feel his breath tickling her face. '_No nose holding this time!_' she thought, fighting the urge to grin at the memory. Awkwardly at first their lips met for a brief moment, just a little too hard. Then almost in synchronisation they both backed off a little and then pushed forwards more gently. It wasn't one long kiss so much as a series of small kisses that kind of ran together into one longer smooch.

Finally, and somewhat regretfully for both of them, they broke apart.

Several awkward moments passed with both of them just staring at one another. Asuka resisted the urge to make a smart-aleck remark and stood there smiling slightly at the Third Child. Shinji, for his part, looked back at the redhead with a more guarded expression, as if he was expecting a trap to spring and wanted to be ready for it.

"Well?" Asuka asked finally, unable to take the silence any longer.

"What?" Shinji replied.

"What do you mean "What?"" Asuka replied with some annoyance filtering through her good mood.

Shinji just stood and stared at her guardedly.

"A beautiful girl kisses you and you just stand there like a stunned mullet saying "_What?_" like I just asked you if you wanted ice-cream! How about "_That was great Asuka_" or "_When our lips met my knees turned to LCL Asuka_"! Or anything but"_What?_"!"Asuka said irritably. What did it take to get an unguarded reaction from this guy? She was desperate to get through to him somehow.

Shinji's face darkened. "Why do you always do this to me?" He said raising his voice, startling the girl out of her musing.

"Do what?" Asuka replied confused by the boy's sudden change in tone.

"Why this?" He yelled, gesturing to the space between them. "You're always doing this to me! First you're all nice and treat me like you might just think that I'm someone you might actually not hate, and then the next instant you turn around and treat me like crap again! I can't take much more of this!" Shinji was breathing heavily now, his eyes bright with anger.

Asuka could feel her own shock turning to anger too. It had taken a lot for her to let down her guard like this to try and reach this boy and he was angry at her? He thought that she was toying with him? Most of all she was frustrated that what had seemed to her like a sure fire plan to reach Shinji seemed to be blowing up in her face.

"Well sorry for trying to do something _nice_ for you, Third Child!" Asuka snapped. "Do you think that this is _easy_ for me? I mean I'm trying my best here to show you how I feel and you throw it back in my face? You have no _idea_ what I've been through to get here!" She could feel the beginnings of tears prickling at her eyes. "What's it gonna take, Ikari? Do I have to rip my fucking clothes off and wrestle you to the god-damned floor to get your attention!"

He just stood there, staring at the floor in front of her, seemingly unable to answer her question. Asuka relented a little, she could tell that he was confused by her actions. He had been hurt by trusting others too many times before in his young life. She just needed to show him that she was genuine in her intentions. She reached out her hand and touched his arm gently.

"Shinji…" She began.

Shinji stepped away from her, his face pale and eyes boring into her. "Leave me alone!" He yelled, pulling his arm forcefully from her grip. He stared at her like that for a moment before his face screwed up and he almost ran out of the kitchen and to his bedroom, slamming the sliding door shut with a bang.

"Stop stealing my lines, Third!" Asuka yelled after him. There was no reply. She just stood there, slowly getting her breathing under control. '_That didn't go a well as I had hoped_.' Was her first half-dazed thought. Then her legs gave way underneath her as she realised the enormity of what had just happened. She, Asuka Langley Soryu, warrior against the MP Evas, survivor of Third Impact and only person on the planet who actually knew of the shit-storm that was to come, had lost control of her emotions at perhaps the one time that had mattered the most. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks and she sobbed uncontrollably as she sat on the floor. "F-Fucking g-great work Soryu!" Asuka berated herself between sobs.

After a couple of minutes she got control of herself again and pulled herself up from the floor. Stiffly she walked to the door of 'Shinji's Lovely Suite'. Asuka knocked at the door gently. "S-Shinji." She said softly. There was no answer. "Shinji, I'm sorry about what I said, okay?"

"Go away!" Was the response from the other side of the door.

"But, Shinji… I really want to… "

"G-Go away!" His voice cracked with the force of his yell.

"Scheiße…" Asuka swore as she leaned her head against Shinji's door in resignation. _'How the hell am I gonna fix this?'_

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of the front door to the apartment opening and the sound of awkward stumbling from the entryway. Asuka wiped her eyes on her t-shirt and walked to meet Kaji and a heavily intoxicated Misato as they entered the living area.

"Hey Kiddo!" Kaji said with a smile. "Could you give me a little help here?" The unshaven man was at that time supporting Misato with one arm around her waist and her right arm slung over his shoulder. Quickly ducking around the Major's other side she helped Kaji walk the inebriated woman to her bedroom.

"Thenksh Kaji!" Misato slurred as they sat her down on the futon. "You-you're a good boy!" She giggled as if she had made some clever joke. "Y-You sshould get rid of that sshtupid pony-tail… nobody has p-pony-tails anymore! Right Ashuka?"

"Sure, Misato." Asuka replied, trying to hide her red rimmed eyes from the two adults. "They're _so_ last week!"

"You can insult his honour and defame his good name," Kaji said with a smile. "But to insult a man's pony-tail is a wound beyond all others!"

"P-Poor baby!" Misato said.

"I'll live." Kaji replied. He looked at Asuka closely and frowned. "You okay Kiddo?"

"Yeah, just super." Asuka replied. Kaji gave her a questioning look. "Just had a bad experience at the fair tonight is all, but I'll be okay!"

"Glad to hear it" He replied, though his expression remained concerned. "Well, I better get going, big day tomorrow!"

"Byeee Kaji-kun!" Misato sing-songed.

"Bye Misato, bye 'Ska!" The spy said. "You going to be okay with Misato from here?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Asuka answered.

"Yeah, s-she's a big girl now! Aren't you Ashuka?"

"Afraid so." The redhead replied with a weak smile.

"Alright!" Kaji said, walking to the bedroom door. "I'll see myself out! Catch you later!"

"See ya!"

"Byeeee Kajiiiii!" Misato yelled loudly.

Asuka looked at her guardian, who was now sprawled out on her futon, still in her black dress and stockings. She hauled her back up to her feet and helped her pull her stockings off one foot at a time as her guardian supported herself with one hand on the dresser.

"You really are hopeless aren't you?" Asuka asked her as the Major flopped back down on the futon and giggled. "How old are you anyway?"

"Ol-Old enough to know what I-I'm doing!" Misato replied drunkenly.

"I somehow doubt that." Asuka said.

"You're so mean!" The Major pouted.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Asuka muttered.

"Y-You kidsh didn't get u-up to any naughty stuffs while I was gone did you?" Misato slurred as Asuka helped her out of her dress and into her nightdress.

"No." Asuka replied sadly. "I tried but Shinji wasn't up for it."

"He's a good kid." Misato said groggily.

"Yeah…" Asuka said. "He is, but he's a lot harder to reach than I ever thought he would be."

The only answer she received was a light snore from her guardian who had finally lost her battle with unconsciousness and was sound asleep on her futon next to her.

"You're not much help either!" Asuka said softly.

The redhead quietly pulled the sheet over Misato and left the bedroom and padded back towards her own. She paused briefly in front of Shinji's bedroom door. Briefly she considered knocking on his door again. Her fist hovered in front of it momentarily as she debated with pros and cons of giving it another try with him that night. Eventually she decided that it would be better to sleep on it and try him anew in the morning. There was too much residue in the air front their earlier fight for her liking at that moment. Asuka stomped back to her own silent room. Moodily she undressed and got into her own sleeping attire of underpants and a long t-shirt.

"Great going today Asuka." She whispered to herself as she lay under the fresh clean sheets of her bed. "Hey Rei/Lilith thing!" She said to the darkened ceiling. "If I blow it this time around, any chance of a third try?"

The night gave her no answer.

"That's what I thought."

Finding sleep was once again an all too elusive quest for the Second Child that night.

* * *

><p>End Chapter 6<p>

A/N: Sorry to end this chapter on a bit of a downer, but if everything went well first time then this would end up a much shorter story than the one I have envisaged.

I feel like I've established the parts of the story that I need to before moving onto more action based chapters, so things will pick up soon though!

Giant robots haven't featured in this story yet, which is kind of a problem for a fic based on a Giant Robot anime. I promise such issues shall be addressed and remedied in the next chapter.

At least we all know _when_ Asuka is in the Evangelion timeline. As for _what_ happens next… Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading. As always, any reviews are greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

Donderkind.

P.S. **Happy New Year!**


	7. Still Life with Giant Robots

_Hi there!_

_Sorry for the huge delay in updating, this chapter was the victim of huge writers block, and several re-writes. So it took a veritable age to be finished. It was also going to be a much longer chapter, but I've decided to split it up into two parts, to stop it becoming too unwieldy._

**Unbroken**

**Chapter 7 **

_{"Si Dieu nous a faits à son image, nous le lui avons bien rendu."_

"_If God has made us in his image, we have returned him the favour." – Voltaire}_

* * *

><p><strong>Still Life with Giant Robots<strong>

Rei Ayanami was confused. This state of confusion was a new experience to the blue haired girl… and she didn't like it.

Confusion would indicate uncertainty. Uncertainty would indicate doubt. The First Child had been conditioned never to doubt what she saw before her. Never to doubt what The Commander told her. Never to question what were clear and immutable truths.

Now Rei Ayanami knew doubt. For the last week it had assailed her_. Doubt_ gnawed at the back of her consciousness like a mouse on a power cable. _Doubt_ crept through the myriad passageways of her psyche and whispered seditious words in her ear. _Doubt_ sat smugly at the core of her being and played Jenga™ with the building blocks of her life.

Rei Ayanami was beginning to get seriously annoyed with doubt and sought this day, in her own direct manner, to evict it from its new-found residence. The biggest problem she faced was this; her limited life experience hadn't really equipped her with the tools she need to solve her unfamiliar problem. That morning things had changed. As she had gone about her morning routine the solution had come to her seemingly from out of the blue.

Rei Ayanami now sought out the Second Child. Throughout that day at school she had been unable to gain the access that she had so desired to Asuka Soryu. During recess and the lunch hour Class Representative Horaki had been hovering closely by her target's side. Rei began to grow more anxious as the urge within her grew more strident.

If she had been asked, she couldn't have explained why speaking with the pilot of Unit 02 was suddenly so important to relieving her of the burden of her doubt. It was as if a voice, her own, but at the same time not her own, was pushing her to interact with the redheaded pilot.

Now the school day had ended and the three pilots had gone their separate ways before having to head to Central Dogma for the latest round of synchronisation testing. Rei walked briskly along the footpath. She almost always went straight from school to NERV on testing days. The other two Children usually spent the intervening hour or so with friends or doing homework. Rei had little need of either of those activities and would usually walk to NERV to prepare for the testing and then wait outside the Commander's office in case he should require to speak to her.

Today was different. Today, unlike every other day, she went straight past her usual entry point to the Geofront. Today the First Child walked with a purpose usually absent from her measured stride. Those very few that knew her well would immediately have spotted the difference in the girl. The educated observer would have seen that Rei Ayanami was clearly looking for something.

Or someone.

The day was warm, the humidity eased somewhat by the light breeze that played through the leaves of the plane trees that lined and shaded the footpath. Rei paid it no heed. At last knew that she was approaching her quarry as a flash of colour and movement caught her eye in the distance.

She saw the familiar silhouette and unmistakeable red hair of the girl who had been at the centre of her thoughts for the last few days.

The Second Child was walking alone less than one hundred metres in front of her. Rei hung back a little and observed the other girl as she walked. Asuka's gaze was cast down and she would kick at the occasional pebble that crossed her path. The blue haired girl was puzzled. The behaviour of Pilot Soryu had been aberrant for a couple of weeks now. Beginning with her unexplained outburst during Second Impact Studies and culminating in her unusual actions of the moment. The normally fiery redhead had definitely been much more subdued in recent weeks. Less liable to violence and sarcastic remarks than before and much more often preferring to keep to herself while at school.

The Second Child's involvement with Pilot Ikari had taken an even more dramatic turn. From Rei's observations it seemed as if Shinji was avoiding talking or interacting with Asuka while they were at school. At the same time she often noticed that Pilot Soryu could be found staring pensively at the young Ikari.

The usual drills and combat training at NERV had kept them mostly separated over the last week but she could still detect a definite coolness in the interactions of the other two pilots. Something deep inside her goaded her to discover the reason behind this unwarranted change in her world.

Rei waited at a set of pedestrian lights as she mused on these strange developments. In the distance ahead of her the slight figure of the Second Child had become lost in the crowd of shoppers making their progress along the retail districts that lined the way.

The signal changed to green and Rei crossed the street with an unfamiliar nervous tension twisting inside her stomach. The shopping crowd had dispersed itself amongst the busier side streets, but Asuka was nowhere to be seen. She quickened her pace and reached the spot where she had last spied the redhead.

There was no sign of the other girl. Rei pressed her lips together in annoyance. She walked further along the rows of small businesses and stopped again at an otherwise nondescript convenience store. She surveyed it curiously. On an impulse she walked through the door and into the dimly lit store. The clerk at the counter looked at her apathetically for a moment before returning to his manga. Apart from Rei it seemed that the shop was totally empty of patrons. Around her brightly coloured packages of instant meals and snack food lined the shelves. People she didn't know smiled out at her from the covers of the magazines in the rack next to the counter. There clearly was nothing to help her here.

She was about to leave when the sound of a car's engine being revved loudly caused her to stop in her tracks. Through the doorway she saw a dark green sports car pull up at the kerb in front of the store.

Rei hung back in the shadow of the doorway as the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle stepped out of the car. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she recognised him almost instantly. Special Inspector Kaji was well known to the First Child. She didn't trust his easy confidence and glib charm. She knew that the Commander and Sub Commander didn't trust the man entirely, though they seemed to tolerate him and even draw him into some of their confidences.

The pony-tailed agent did a quick head check around him. Rei instinctively stepped back a pace into the recesses of the store, but he made no sign of having seen her.

"Are you going to buy something, or are you just gonna stand there?"

Rei turned around to look at the store clerk. The man sat behind the counter stared over the top of his manga at her. A scantily clad girl with unrealistically coloured hair and eyes posed provocatively on the cover. His greasy hair hung down over his eyes as he leered at her openly.

"I do not wish to purchase anything." Rei answered the man.

"Then get out. This isn't the Shibuse Hyper-mall." The clerk replied surlily.

Rei looked back out of the doorway and saw that Kaji had moved on. Without giving the clerk a second glance she stepped through and back out into the humid afternoon sunshine.

Blinking rapidly to adjust her eyes to the brighter light outside she looked left and right before catching sight of the back of a pony-tailed figure disappearing around the corner. Quickly Rei walked to the corner and peered around it into the street beyond. She instantly recognised Agent Kaji as he crossed the road about twenty metres away, making a bee-line to a small sidewalk café on the other side. Sitting with her back to Rei's position at one of the tables that sheltered beneath a large canvas umbrella, and apparently talking to a waitress, Rei once again recognised the figure of the Second Child. The waitress moved away and Asuka looked back and smiled and waved as she saw Kaji approach. Rei hung back and attempted to conceal herself behind one of the plane trees that lined the street-scape.

Such hiding and subterfuge were usually completely beyond the blue haired girl's experience, but now they felt like the natural thing to do. She felt that if she were detected by the pair that she would be upsetting Asuka and she wished to avoid the Second Child's ire at this point. Rei still hoped to converse with her to attempt to quiet her own sense of unease.

Shortly the waitress returned with two cups of coffee and placed them in front of the two. The redhead took a large sip from her cup and from what Rei could tell she began to speak, seldom giving the pony-tailed man a chance to interrupt. Oddly, to Rei at least, she saw that the normally confident Second Child didn't once raise her eyes from her cup the whole time that she spoke, and her hands seemed unable to hold still, but fiddled with and spun the cup constantly on its saucer in front of her.

From her vantage point Rei was unable to see Asuka's face as she spoke to Kaji, but she was able to clearly discern the older man's reaction to the conversation. At first the man's confident façade remained intact as he smiled indulgently at his younger companion. Then quickly his smile faded and a look of puzzlement sat on his features. Finally his face appeared to show a genuine shock at whatever the girl sitting opposite him was saying.

Eventually it appeared that Asuka had finished speaking. Both of them sat silently for several minutes, the redhead apparently dabbing at her eyes and face with a napkin.

Kaji stared at her with his hand over his chin for what felt like an age to Rei. Eventually he spoke at length to the young pilot, who seemed to answer him in much shorter sentences, still staring all the time at her cup. Then finally Kaji stood up, pulled his wallet out and drew several notes from it and placed them on the table in front of Asuka. Placing his hand on the girl's shoulder he spoke a couple of words before walking back across the street towards Rei's position. Rei slid herself further around its trunk so as to remained concealed, but the pony-tailed man strode by without even a sideways glance at where she stood. Within seconds he had vanished back around the corner.

Looking back to the café she could see that the Second Child had departed as well. Once again Rei was unable to tell which direction Asuka had gone. Not wishing to give away the fact that she had been spying herself, Rei waited until she saw the green sports car pass the end of the street before making her own way back to her usual entrance to the Geofront. As she walked her inexperienced mind attempted to make some sense of what she had witnessed. She knew that in the past Pilot Soryu had made no secret of her infatuation with Agent Kaji, but this had seemed much different from a childish confession of love from an immature girl to an older man.

The spy's candid reaction to whatever Asuka had told him hinted at something beyond what Rei was able to grasp. Much to her annoyance, her confusion had increased dramatically when she had merely sought to diminish it.

Maybe if she asked the Commander _he_ would be able to help explain what may have happened more satisfactorily.

Almost instinctively she knew that this would be an unwise move. She had never kept a secret from Commander Ikari in her entire life, but something inside her told her that he would not appreciate her interest in the doings of the Second Child.

Resolving to keep her knowledge and doubts to herself until she could learn more, Rei swiped her access card through the reader at the main gate and descended into the labyrinthine passageways of the Geofront.

The latest round of sync-testing was due to start in less that half and hour.

* * *

><p>"Come on Asuka, <em>concentrate<em>!" The Major encouraged her charge. She was deeply worried about Asuka. Sure the girl's behaviour had been… unusual… recently, but now Misato was beginning to really worry about her with this sudden new development. The telemetry data on Ritsuko's screen told what would be a devastating tale for the redheaded pilot.

Asuka's synchronisation rate was currently hovering barely above Rei's.

"_Come on Asuka_.." Misato repeated to herself quietly. This wasn't _supposed_ to even be possible. This was just a run of the mill synch-test. How had it all gone so awry?

The simulation bodies was merely conduits to the Evangelions themselves, enabling the scientific team in Project E to control the interface and, if the worst happened, physically sever the connection between pilot and their Unit without the risk of the Eva going berserk. They had been quickly jury-rigged to prevent a repeat of the damage to personnel and equipment that had resulted from Unit 00's disastrous activation back before the Angel's had attacked Tokyo-3 . To the Pilots in the plugs, apart from lacking the visual normal feedback, there was little tangible difference between sitting in the simulation plug and being in the Evangelion itself.

Asuka sat in her plug as she tried to clear her mind and reach out to the Evangelion like she had done so easily in the past. Though she had been nervous in the lead up to the test, deep down she had been buzzing with the excitement of what finally being able to bond with Unit 02 would actually mean.

Donning the plug suit had certainly felt… well… _weird_ at first, but frighteningly familiar all the same. The last time she had worn it she had been a battered and filthy waif staggering through Tokyo-3 during the first days of her struggle to survive after the Third Impact. She slid the clean and shiny bright red suit out of its sealed plastic package and stared at it apprehensively.

Shedding her school uniform she left it in an untidy heap on the locker room floor. Tentatively stepping into the bright red suit she felt the familiar whoosh of air as she pressed the switch and it tightened around her body.

"_Ikuhayo Asuka!"_ She had breathed to herself, clenching her right fist in front of her she exited the locker room and walked purposefully to the testing lab.

Fighting down a small rush of panic she settled into the test plug Asuka closed her eyes and forced herself to breath in the first sickly-sweet breaths of the uncharged LCL.

"_Initiating start-up sequence" _Came the disembodied voice of Maya Ibuki_._

The kaleidoscope of colour swirled around her for several seconds before resolving back into the inside of the test plug, albeit somewhat clearer due to the now electrolysed LCL filling both it and her lungs.

Immediately she reached out with her consciousness as she had been trained to do since she was five. Beyond the thought noise generated between her and Unit 02 by the link she could now feel the massive psychic weight of her Evangelion hungrily rushing forward to envelop her. _'Hello, Mother.'_ She thought to the presence in the plug with her.

Instantly the temperature seemed to drop in the LCL she was sitting in. She could immediately feel the confusion and blunt rage of the Evangelion focusing on her. The intensity took her breath away.

"Asuka, what's wrong? Your sync-rate is barely in double figures!"

Asuka ignored Misato's question as she struggled to link with the Eva and gain control of the swirling raw emotion that it threw at her. She swore at herself for her cockiness. She had just assumed that knowing the secret of the ghost in the machine that it would welcome her with a mother's loving embrace. She had thought that she would quickly be able to establish her position as the top pilot and therefore able to better influence the upcoming battles and be better placed to protect Shinji from the horrors that she knew were to come.

Instead the Evangelion's aura recoiled from her as if she were a stranger to it. She could feel its incoherent and primal anger buffeting her senses as she battled with its will.

"Disconnect the nerves links, there's too much feedback in the system! Terminate the test!" She could hear Dr Akagi shouting.

"No!" Asuka screamed. "_I can do this_!"

"Asuka!" Misato cried in concern.

"_Trust me _Misato!" She panted. "Just give me a few seconds!"

Asuka took a deep breath of the LCL and cleared her mind, ignoring the wailing feedback from the nerve connections and the searing pain that lanced through her body. She focused her will on that of Unit 02. The presence of the Evangelion backed away from her a little in confusion. She now recognised what the problem was. The last time that she had synchronised with Unit 02 in _this_ timeline she had been a precocious and self obsessed young girl. The Evangelion had known her and accepted her presence from the time she was five years old. It had grown and bonded _with_ her. It had loved her in some primaeval kind of way. Now suddenly an Asuka who had experienced the end of the World, her own death and dismemberment and fought for survival for a year in the wilderness was sitting in the entry plug and expecting it to welcome her as its prodigal daughter. There was only one problem with this.

The Evangelion didn't recognise her as the girl who had last synched with it just over a fortnight ago in its own time frame. Its basic and primitive mother instinct could feel that Asuka was able to link to it, but the blunt and unfiltered emotion that the beast within was capable of reacted in violent confusion at her now unfamiliar psyche.

Asuka gripped the control yokes tightly and concentrated all of her will back at the soul within the creature at the other end of the link. Latching onto the small part of the beast that she knew still recognised her she bent her thoughts towards it to the exclusion of all else. She was aware of Misato shouting instructions, but she ignored them. All she was concentrated on that tiny but significant link to the Evangelion.

Slowly, but inexorably, the psychic raging that buffeted her grew steadily quieter. Still she stayed focused on that link, shaping it with her mind until it responded to her will. Then, like someone inching along a precipice to safety, she drew herself towards it, gradually the beast at the other end of the link grew still and acquiescent to her will. Drawing in a deep breath of oxygenated LCL she opened her eyes to see the worried face of Misato Katsuragi staring wide eyed at her on the open com screen.

"Synch-Rate stabilised at fifty-eight percent." Maya Ibuki's voice echoed hollowly over the intercom.

"Well done Asuka!" Misato breathed.

Asuka just closed her eyes and nodded.

"What the hell just happened?" She heard her guardian ask the scientist to her left just before the Major closed off the com-link.

Ritsuko Akagi turned to her old friend. "It would appear that instability on the part of the pilot caused feedback in the synchronisation matrix." She said.

"You're saying that _Asuka_ caused this?"

"No other explanation is possible." Ritsuko replied smugly. "All of the telemetry from Unit 02 indicated that the cause of the instability originated from the simulation-plug."

"But it _is_ stabilised now, right?" Misato asked anxiously.

Ritsuko spent several long seconds poring over the data on the computer screen in front of her.

"According to the Magi the Second Child's psycho-graph is currently within a stable threshold with that of Unit 02. They predict a 99.8 percent probability that Asuka's current ratio will not undergo any further such anomalies in the future."

"A simple 'Yes' would have sufficed." Misato muttered.

Dr Akagi chewed the end of her biro pensively for a moment before re-opening the communication link to Asuka's sim-plug. "Come on Second_ Child_! _Fifty-eight percent!_ You _must_ be able to do better than _that_!"

"I'm trying _Doktor Schweinfrau_!" Asuka replied testily.

"Jeez Ritsuko!" Misato said, having returned to her seat at the back of the control centre. "Stop riding her so hard, you know Asuka's had a tough couple of weeks!"

"That's no excuse Misato, and you know it!" The blonde scientist answered without even looking back at the major from her seat at the front of the room. "We need to have _all_ of our pilots performing at maximum efficiency no matter what the circumstances! The Angels don't care if Asuka is having an off week or has just been acting like a spoiled little brat and, frankly, neither do I."

"_Man… who rattled your cage?"_ Misato muttered to herself. Ritsuko's previous animosity towards the Second Child really had been taken to a new level recently and for the life of her Misato couldn't figure out why. "At least she's stabilised… What about the others?"

"Hmm… " Ritsuko replied, checking the other readouts on her monitor. "Rei is stable at 54 percent.. and Shinji, well, see for yourself!"

Misato leaned forward so the she could read the screen in front of the blonde scientist. "Wow! 72 percent! That's his best score yet! At least there's _some_ good news to come out of this test!"

Ritsuko smiled bitterly before opening the channel to all of the pilots. "Good work Rei, you're up two points from last time."

"Yes." Replied the blue haired pilot, her face unreadable on the screen in front of her.

"And _very_ good work from you Shinji!" Ritsuko continued. "You're at 72 percent! That's the highest score we've ever had from _any_ of the pilots."

Shinji's usually guarded expression changed to one of shock and then a quiet smile finally showed on his features.

"Th-Thank you…"

Misato could see that Ritsuko was really enjoying herself as the blonde doctor continued. "That's fine Shinji, you deserve it! With your score up so high and Asuka's score down near Rei's, you're now our Number One Pilot!"

The Third Child continued smiling for a few more moments before his expression changed again and he looked down at the image of Asuka on the screen in front of him. Asuka, however, seemed unable to meet his eyes and just kept her head lowered before shutting off the feed to her own plug. Shinji's features betrayed some shock as the window disappeared before looking back out at Ritsuko and Misato.

"D-Did I really do well?" He asked, still unsure of how to handle his swirling emotions at this time.

"You sure did Shinji!" Ritsuko replied. "Like I said; 'You're Number One!'"

"Misato?" Shinji asked, still unsure.

"_Not the words that I would have chosen_…" The Major muttered to herself, before shaking her head and seeming to come back to herself. "Well done Shinji… " Misato answered him finally. "That's you're best score ever!" She gave him the thumbs-up as encouragement.

"Thank you." He said, finally allowing himself to look pleased.

"We're done here." Dr Akagi said, shutting off the video. "Maya, eject the simulation plugs and send all of the data through to Commander Ikari once you're done processing it."

"Yes Ma'am."

Misato picked up he coffee cup. "Send that data through to me as well please Lieutenant." She said more brusquely than she intended to Maya. She didn't notice the young tech's confused expression at the tension between the Major and her Senpai.

"Yes Ma'am."

Misato exited the room, her mind troubled by the events that had just occurred. She was genuinely happy for Shinji at having achieved such a great score. Lord only knew that the boy needed every boost to his self esteem that he could get. She couldn't help being deeply concerned for Asuka though. The usually brash on self confident German girl had really been out of sorts lately, and this synch test would surely be nothing less than a disaster in Asuka's mind.

Misato had a bad feeling that the worst was yet to come.

* * *

><p>Rei walked out of the showers just in time to observe the Second Child venting her fury on her closed locker door with her right foot and fist. The light steel buckled under the barrage of kicks and blows that rained down upon it.<p>

"Arrrgh!" The aggravated German screamed. "I wish this was that fucking Akagi bitch's pointy head!" More kicks and fist strikes pounded the locker until finally Asuka ceased her attack and turned on Rei who was still standing watching her.

"What do _you_ want?" Asuka snapped.

"I fail to see the efficiency in destroying NERV property because you are disappointed at losing your premier piloting position to Pilot Ikari."

Asuka frowned darkly at her, the redhead's breaths echoing harshly in the confined locker room. "The last thing that I need right now, Wondergirl, is a lecture on '_efficiency'_ from _you_!"

Rei stared at her few a few seconds before she turned her back to her and began to dress in her school uniform.

Asuka nursed her bruised hand as she stared daggers at the other girl's back. "For your information, _Ayanami_, I'm angry because I that snooty bitch Akagi was lording it over me just because Shinji _beat_ my score! She'd like nothing more than to see me fail, even at the expense of defeating the Angels!"

"You are still capable of operating your Evangelion." Rei replied without turning around. "I fail to see the justification for your current outburst."

"_You_ wouldn't!" Asuka spat. "It's not just that Shinji beat me. It's that _I_ failed to beat him. Don't you know how much I needed to… I couldn't… _Arrgh_! Why should I even _try_ to explain this to you?"

Rei fastened the neck-tie of her uniform and turned around to meet the glare of the Second Child with an even and unblinking stare.

"What?" Asuka said impatiently.

"I am experiencing doubt."

"Congratulations, you're having what we humans call an_ emotion_. I'm _very_ happy for you!" Asuka said sarcastically. "Unfortunately I don't have the time now to throw a party for your _'real girl' _awakening! I've got my own pile of shit to deal with!"

"You are referring to your failure in the synch-test?"

Asuka clenched her fists and suppressed a snarl. "_Failure?_" She said through clenched teeth. "I still beat _your_ score, _Wondergirl_!"

"This is true. Yet you were lower than Pilot Ikari's score. Is this the source of your anger?"

"Why, all of a sudden, do you _even_ give a fuck?" Asuka snapped, growing impatient with the blue haired girl.

"I have been troubled by the instability of the recent circumstances surrounding yourself and Pilot Ikari. I have recently developed the strong feeling that you could assist in making this more clear to me."

Asuka's eyes widened. Did Rei suspect anything? No, how could she? All Asuka had managed to do so far was bumble around her old life screwing things up even more than they were the first time around.

"I-I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about!" She stuttered.

"Nevertheless, Pilot Soryu, I have conceived a desire to converse with you, if I may?"

Asuka smiled nervously. "You? Want to '_converse'_ with me?" Asuka said incredulously. "Sure, why not? My day _can't_ get any worse after all. Go ahead Wondergirl, _talk_!"

The blue haired pilot of Unit 00 hesitated, seemingly uncertain of how to proceed.

"Come on then? Spit it out Wondergirl!"

"You have changed." Rei said bluntly.

Asuka was entirely taken aback. "What do you mean, _Changed_?"

"You appear different to me. Your essence has altered."

"Essence!" Asuka screeched. "I have no _idea_ what the hell you are on about, First!"

"You have changed, I have seen the inconsistency in you since your outburst in the classroom. I have also observed the difference in the relationship between yourself and Pilot Ikari. You are not the same."

"I'm don't know what they've been slipping into your LCL Wondergirl, but I'm still the same top pilot you'll never be!" Asuka said quickly trying to cover her nervousness at the other girl's apparent insight. Was she really that naked and transparent that even social hermit and poster child for introverts and shut ins everywhere could see straight through her?

"Nonetheless," Rei answered with a sense of unassailable finality in her tone. "I sense a profound change has taken place in you, Pilot Soryu. Throughout this day I have been experiencing a strong desire to discuss this with you."

"Well I sense a wind-up doll who is _pissed off_ that even at my lowest she knows that she still can't beat me behind the controls of an Eva!" Asuka snarled back at her. "What does your new-found insight say to that?"

Rei seemed unable to answer Asuka's challenge. She stared unblinkingly at the German for thirty long seconds.

"Well?" Asuka snapped. "What do you have to say now, Wondergirl?"

"I am not a doll." Rei finally answered quietly.

Asuka snorted "Is that the best you've got?" Asuka snorted "Don't you have somewhere else to be Wondergirl?" She said testily. "I'm sure that your sparkling interpersonal skills are required elsewhere!"

The First Child stared at her for a little longer before seeming to realise the meaning of what Asuka had said. She blinked twice and then picked her satchel up from the inside of her locker and slung it over her shoulder.

"I'm leaving." She said as she turned and walked from the locker room without further communication.

"Thanks for that Wondergirl." Asuka said blowing a sigh into to the now empty locker room. "It's been educational!"

* * *

><p>"I see that your dietary habits haven't changed."<p>

"You're starting to sound like Ritsuko." Misato griped as she kept spooning the contents of the jar of chilli flakes into her bowl of cafeteria ramen.

Kaji grimaced as he took a swig of his coffee. "Well, as usual, I've got to say that I can't fault her logic." He replied dryly. "After all, it _is_ only 10:30am."

The major just '_hmphed_' at her former lover as she screwed the lid back on the jar and began slurping the soup out of the bowl. "For _you_ perhaps. You haven't been up since 5am pulling the early shift. For me this is a late lunch!"

The pony-tailed agent pursed his lips and watched as Misato made short work of demolishing the questionable meal in front of her. While she finished he took a quick head count of the other occupants of the NERV cafeteria. At this time of the morning the cavernous space was virtually deserted. A couple of maintenance workers slouched over their mid morning coffees in the far corner, three of the back-up bridge staff chatted and joked as they ate from their metal lunch trays and that was pretty much it.

Kaji had done several surreptitious sweeps of the base after he had arrived in Tokyo-3 and had been surprised to discover that the cafeteria was a black hole insofar as Section 2 surveillance was concerned. The space was too open and public for anyone to pay it much notice as a venue for possible espionage. So in many ways it was the perfect place for the meeting that Kaji had in mind.

Finally Misato slurped up the last of the noodles left in the bowl and looked up at Kaji who sat patiently waiting for her.

"So," She said, wiping her face and hands on a paper napkin with a red half leaf logo in the corner. "Why did you want to meet me here? I'm guessing that it's not to reminisce about the old days and watch me eat ramen."

"Well, not entirely." Kaji replied with a smile. "Though it has been fun so far."

"Har-de-har." Misato answered dryly.

Kaji glanced around as the maintenance workers pushed their chairs back with loud metallic scraping noises and shuffled out of the cafeteria, presumably heading back to their shifts in the Evangelion bays.

"You seem a little on edge." The purple haired Major said. "What's going on Kaji? Has one of your ex-girlfriends caught up with you and started demanding paternity payments?"

"You know that you were always the only girl for me Misato!" Kaji said turning on his easy charm. She poked her tongue out at his glib response.

The spy quickly grew more sombre and leaned forward across the table. "Misato..." He said in a serious tone. "Has Asuka been acting… you know, kind of weird or unusual lately?"

"Asuka?" Misato said in surprise. "I guess she's been a _little_ moody lately. Not that that's anything unusual in itself… She's a highly strung teenage girl with a lot of pressure on her. You've gotta expect all of that weight on her shoulders to cause her to cause her to give vent to a little steam from time to time!"

"Hmmm.." Kaji replied. "You do know that she asked me to meet her at a café downtown before the synch-tests yesterday?"

"_Did she_?" Misato asked with an amused smile. "You of all people should remember that she has had a crush on you for a _long_ time now. I would have thought that an experienced Don Juan like you would have no problem letting an infatuated young girl down gently." She teased.

"I'm not talking about a bit of teenaged angst or schoolgirl crush or anything remotely like that." Kaji replied tensely. "She said that she had asked to meet because she wanted to warn me."

The Major met his intense stare with a questioning look. "Warn you?"

Kaji did another quick nervous head check around the cafeteria.

"What's wrong with you Kaji?" Misato asked worriedly. "You're acting like the Stasi are about to swoop in and nab you!"

"Maybe I am… but I have my reasons." The agent said with a wry smile, before again growing very serious. "Misato, what do you know about the Human Instrumentality Project?"

"The Human _what_ Project?"

"_Exactly_." Kaji said. "It's Top Secret level S12 clearance information that I've only just barely been able to scratch the surface of. As far as I can tell, it appears to be the driving force behind Project E _and_ the entire Evangelion program itself."

"W-What's this have to do with Asuka?"

"I told you that she said that she had wanted to warn me. She told me that I should go back to Germany before things got "_too bad_", whatever that meant. She _also_ told me, and I quote; _"If you keep poking around the Human Instrumentality Project, they're gonna kill you Kaji.""_

Misato looked at him incredulously. "That has to be a mistake. If this Instrumentality thing is as Top Secret and high level as you say it is… There's just no way… I mean _I_ haven't even heard of it!" The Major sputtered. "You're not bullshitting me here Ryouji? How could a fourteen year old girl… ?"

"Exactly." Kaji interrupted. "She couldn't. You've just shown me that you don't know anything about this, so where did she find out about it?"

"And what makes her so convinced that you're _"poking around"_ in it?"

"Those are my questions exactly Misato." The agent replied. "Asuka's a smart kid, her constant bragging isn't just some childish act. The kid's a certified genius! Even so, how could she possibly know about this kind of stuff?"

"I… I don't have the faintest idea." Misato answered perplexed.

"Neither do I. But I do know one thing. If she lets anyone else know about this her life is in terrible danger. I told her as much yesterday. You know what she said?"

"What?"

"She said, "_They've already killed me once already… I think I can risk it!_ " When I asked her what she meant she just said that she was just kidding, but it seemed to be kind of like it was some kind of a sad memory for her when she said it."

"I don't understand any of this Kaji!" Misato said in a hushed tone.

"Neither do I Misato." Kaji replied. "I want you to keep an eye on Asuka for me… I don't know where she's getting this information, but if she's not careful she could be in grave danger."

"You want me to spy on her, snoop through her stuff? I can't do that Kaji! I've worked hard to gain her trust and co-operation, if she finds out I'm spying on her I can kiss that all goodbye!"

"Better to lose her trust than for her to lose her life! I'm serious Misato! She could be in great danger because of this."

"You don't understand, I… "

Misato's reply was interrupted by the shrill beeping of her NERV pager. The Major plucked the small electronic device off her belt and quickly read the text on the tiny screen.

"Speaking of putting children in the path of danger…" She said standing up from her chair. "An unidentified object has just been reported in the airspace above Tokyo-3."

"An Angel?" Kaji asked.

"Well I somehow doubt that it's a runaway Gumby balloon from the last Hallowe'en parade!"

At that moment the klaxons of the main Angel Alert alarm began their deafening bellowing. Once again warning the citizens of Tokyo-3 and surrounding areas that their city was yet again the target of impending destruction.

"We'll talk about this later!" Misato yelled over the sirens before scurrying off to the direct lifts to Central Dogma.

Kaji skulled the last of his tepid coffee. "Assuming that there is a '_later_." He muttered to himself as he also headed off to his pre-ordained emergency station.

Within a few short minutes the entire facility was locked down. Pilots were rushed from their school to NERV in large black saloon cars. The Bridge crew sat poised to react to whatever form the attack from the new interloper may take. Non-essential staff huddled in their cramped shelters. Many of them staring at creased and fingered photographs of loved ones taken out of wallets or held in small frames that they had brought from desks and workstations. Universally all of them were praying that the end would not come for them on this day.

* * *

><p>End Chapter 7<p>

A/N:

Alright then! :)

I had planned to do this chapter all the way through the Angel battle, but at already roughly seven thousand words I thought I might finish this one off at this point and devote the proper amount of space and time to the crucial first Angel battle that Asuka is a part of in her new timeline!

Sorry for it being all buildup and no action, all mouth and no trousers, so to speak! it was initially intended to be the opening movements of a very important chapter, but it kinda took on a life, and size, of its own! Even after two rewrites I'm not completely happy with it, but it's gone beyond my abilities to improve, so I put it out there!

I also realise some of you may see discrepancies within Rei's behaviours and perceived motivations in relation to earlier events, these _should_ be addressed later in the story. Depending on if I have the skill to pull off that particular story-arc!

**Chapter 8** is already _well_ under way, so it shouldn't be too long until the all important battle is underway. Thanks, in advance, for your patience!

Cheers!

Donderkind.


	8. Falls the Shadow

_As always I make no claims of ownership of anything Evangelion related. _

_Also this fic is rated M, mostly for language. Just to let you know, Asuka does get her swear on a bit in this particular chapter!_

* * *

><p><strong>Unbroken<strong>

**Chapter Eight**

**Falls the Shadow…**

"_Hello, Mother_." She said quietly, so as not to be overheard by the cage crew of her unit as they swarmed around the giant like ants.

Unit 02 just stood dumbly before her as she leaned on the rail of the gangway in front of it. Asuka smiled to herself. What did she expect? Especially after the near disaster of yesterday's synch-test. For it to stoop down and kiss her on the forehead?

Nonetheless, it was still strangely comforting to see the bright red Evangelion towering above her once more after all of this time. The gleaming perfection of its form in stark contrast to the bloody violence of its death.

The entry plug was finally lowered down to her level and she quickly climbed inside and nestled herself into the seat. Almost immediately she felt the stomach dropping sensation of the crane lifting the plug up into position above Unit 02's neck. The main hatch slid forward and sealed the plug shut with a soft _thud_.

She was aware of her hands flexing and unflexing on the control yokes as she tried to still the nervous tension of what would be her first combat sortie in over a year, at least by her own time frame. Not to mention that the last time that she had actually been inside this very same entry plug she had be impaled and dismembered by the unholy horde of the Mass Production Evangelion Series.

"_Commencing LCL delivery_." The tinny voice of Lt Ibuki sounded over the plug speakers.

"Keep it together, Asuka." She whispered to herself as the familiar sensation of LCL immersion swept over her body.

"_Inserting Entry Plug."_

The cushioning effects of the pressurised liquid that she was now immersed in meant that there was very little sensation to tell her of the torque of the plug as it was rapidly thrust into the opening in the carapace of the Evangelion.

"_Beginning Start-up Sequence_."

Asuka felt an electric thrill across her body as the LCL was electrolysed, shortly followed by the kaleidoscope of colour as the plug and Eva connected. Then there was the familiar sensation of her limbs growing heavy and puissant as the mechanoid bonded with her. She had been a little apprehensive as to how Unit 02 would react to having her actually inside it, unfiltered by the Sim-bodies, but the now Evangelion was quiet and she could feel none of the _sturm und drang_ from it of the synch-test the day before. Indeed the spirit inside the beast seemed almost somnolent compared to last time. Asuka drew its essence close to her as the walls of the plug disappeared and the interior of the cage filled her view.

"_Stabilised at sixty-two percent_." The young tech's voice filled her ears. Asuka breathed a sigh of relief, causing a few small bubbles to rise into the liquid. A marginal improvement, but comforting nonetheless. At this level she knew she could at easily control Unit 02 and have a better effect on the outcome of this battle.

At least she hoped she could.

In truth, the mere fact of her now actually sitting once again inside the Evangelion was so surreal that she wasn't even able to fully get her brain around it. She chewed the inside of her cheek painfully just to help her stay focused on the task at hand.

Asuka could hear the chatter over the open link channels of all three Evangelions being prepped for battle. She grimaced slightly as she heard Misato verbally fussing over Shinji as Unit 01 was brought to the launch bay. Despite all that had occurred, she still felt a small twinge of jealousy at the relationship that her two housemates shared. A relationship that she could never have hoped to be a part of. Even more now she felt like the outsider. A lonely freak that others could never understand or relate to.

"_How the fuck am I gonna do this?" _She muttered to herself.

"Sorry Asuka, what did you say?" Misato's voice was suddenly loud in her ears.

"Errrm… I said, come on, let's do this!"

"That-a-girl!" Misato cheered in reply.

Asuka fought to control her emotions as she felt the Eva being rolled on its giant mobile platform to the launch catapult. She felt the familiar seismic _thunk _of the lock bolts pushing into place.

"Are you sure that you're good to go, Asuka?" Misato asked over them comm.

The redhead tightened her grip on the butterfly handles as she prepared for the G-forces of the launch.

"Let's do this!" She snarled out.

The LCL provided some cushioning effect but she still felt her body sinking into the memory foam of her seat as Unit 02 accelerated to over two hundred kilometres an hour, making it up to street level in a matter of mere seconds.

After she recovered from the jolt of the sudden stop at the surface Asuka quickly gained her bearings. It had been a long time since she had seen the city from the lofty vantage point of the cockpit of an Evangelion and she marvelled at how clean and shining and _alive_ Tokyo-3 appeared as it lay before her. Even with the buildings at the centre of the city retracted the centre of Tokyo-3 shimmered in the bright early afternoon sunlight. Off to either side of her position she could see the other two Evas moving out from their insertion points. Unit 00 retrieving what appeared to be a large sniper rifle from a close-by armament tower and Unit 01 already with the ridiculously huge automatic pistol clasped in its right hand. She stepped forward and off the launch platform as she quickly inserted one of the power couplings from a nearby service building.

Hovering serenely about two kilometres distant was the familiar zebra striped sphere of the Angel, which had appeared about twenty minutes earlier above the western quarter of the city and had shown no real sign of movement since then.

"Asuka, move out." Misato's face appeared in a com-screen. "Armament building A-7 will be on your left in 120 metres, I think you'll like what you find in there!"

Asuka walked the Eva forward down the specially reinforced roadway. As she reached the designated spot a narrow building shot up out of the pavement to her left and the side of it retracted to reveal the usual array of armaments inside, plus a titanium shafted progressive battleaxe that shone in the sunlight.

Asuka grinned at seeing it. It was always the coolest weapon that she had used during her time as a pilot, but she had never actually used it in anger on an Angel due to the way things went down the toilet on that particular day.

'_This particular day!'_ She thought soberly to herself. She grabbed the axe from its rack and hefted its weight in her Eva's hands. It felt reassuringly solid and powerful in her grip_. "Ikuhayo Asuka!"_ She whispered, before saying more loudly. "This is _much_ more like it Misato!"

The Major smiled at her, before returning to a more serious demeanour.

"We'll do this just like we discussed in the briefing." Misato said to the three pilots. "We have no idea what this Angel's offensive capabilities are, so while one of you tries to get close enough to it to gauge what it can do, the others will hold back to assist if need be. Unit 00 is better suited to ranged attacks, so Rei will set up at point A14 with the sniper rifle while Asuka in Unit 02… "

"I'll take point!" Asuka interrupted, keen to put Shinji as far from harm's way as she could.

"Shinji will take point." Misato continued sternly. "As highest Synch holder we are better served by having him at point. Unit 02 will back him up."

"Yes Ma'am." Shinji answered. "After all combat's a _man's_ job, Asuka! It's just good tactics to put your best pilot at the point where _he_ can be the most effective."

"At last he speaks!" Asuka said in annoyance and more than a little panic. "What was _that_, chauvinist _piglet_? Who gave you permission to turn into an asshole?_ I_ will take point!"

"Asuka…" Misato started.

"_After all_," Asuka continued. "Doesn't it make more sense to put your _most expendable_ pilot in harm's way and so that the heroic highest synch holding pilot of Unit 01 can rush in and save the poor little girl from the big nasty Angel? Wouldn't_ you _agree, Doctor Akagi?"

From behind Misato on the com window Asuka could see Ritsuko Akagi staring daggers at her.

"We don't have time for this Asuka!" The Major griped at her.

"You _know_ that I would be best suited to the offensive role, Misato! Give me a chance to show you that I can take it! Otherwise what was the point of giving me this axe, no matter how _cool_ it may be, when the other two have got _ranged_ weapons?" Asuka was almost pleading now. "Give _me_ the point, Misato, and that Angel's innards will be pâté before you even know it!"

"Asuka…" Misato began.

"Come on, Misato!" There was a desperate edge to the redhead's voice. "Which pilot has the most advanced training in weapons and tactics out of the three of us?"

"We don't have _time_ for a childish squabble now Asuka!" The Major said in frustration.

"Exactly!" Asuka answered as if Misato had just proven her point. "That's why the most experienced pilot should be given the point position! Acing tests in a lab doesn't count for much if you can't cut it in the real world!"

"Asuka can take the point if it means that much to her!" Shinji interrupted his two housemate's argument surlily.

"Thanks, Shinji-kun! Your such a _team_ player!" Asuka replied, masking her relief with heavy sarcasm.

"_Fine_, Asuka will take point, Shinji will back her up." Misato said in a frustrated tone.

Asuka stuck her tongue out and pulled her left eyelid down at Shinji's image in the communications window. The Third Child looked annoyed for a moment before finally changing to a more resigned expression. "Yes Misato. Unit 01 will back up."

"Unit 00 will back up too." Rei's monotone sounded over the speakers.

Flicking the com windows off with a thought Asuka allowed herself a little smile of victory. Finally _something_ was going her way. Now _all_ that she had to do was defeat this Angel and prevent Shinji from falling into the Dirac sea and things could begin falling into place for her. This battle was for her the crux of her plan to try and prevent Shinji from plummeting into despair. Something in her mind told her that this _had_ to be the crucial turning point that Lilith had selected for her. She knew that what Shinji had experienced inside the 12th Angel was the beginning of the end for him psychologically, and therefore Humanity as well. If she screwed up on this mission she felt that it would be _so_ much more difficult to prevent Third Impact.

It all sounded simple in her head. She wished that she could feel the confidence that it would _actually_ be that easy.

Holding the axe in both of the Eva's hands in a way that it strangely couldn't but help to remind her of the days of trekking through the frozen wastes with her trusty ancient rifle, Asuka tried her best to move as stealthily through the deserted streets as the forty metre tall robot would allow.

Just as she got to within about one hundred metres of where the Angel floated serenely over the deserted cityscape she felt a sharp tug at her back.

"Scheiße." She swore to herself as she realised that she had been caught up in exactly the same way as the last time she had been here. She quickly ejected the power coupling and accessed as new one from a nearby access point. She certainly hoped that history wouldn't be repeating itself any further.

Finally she positioned Unit 02 with its back to the building nearest the Angel's position and peered around the side at her enemy. It still hung there above the evacuated city, its seamless striped surface free from flaw or apparent weak point.

She waited until she heard the confirmations of the other two Evangelions reaching their pre-determined positions. There would be no going off half-cocked _this_ time around.

"Unit 00 in position."

"Unit 01 in position."

"Alright, Asuka." Misato's tension filled voice sounded in her cockpit speakers. "The Magi are yet to confirm this thing's wave pattern, so we're unsure of its status or capabilities…"

"_How is that any different from normal_?" Asuka replied in a tense whisper.

"I'm just saying be careful, don't commit fully to an attack until we're sure what we're dealing with here."

"So we just stand around until it decides to attack us?" Asuka said incredulously. "I see why they made _you_ Operations Director!" Asuka always felt that sarcasm was one of her real strengths.

Misato didn't rise to the bait and stayed silent. Minutes seemed to drag by as the Angel remained motionless above them.

"Status report." She heard Misato say to one of the bridge techs.

"Target pattern still orange." Some anonymous peon replied.

Asuka assessed her situation. So far she had got herself into the point position like she had planned. Now the moment had arrived to force the situation. _'Fuck this, time to take charge!'_ She figured that if she could strike at it and make it attack her with its shadow she could get free by building hopping across that sinking skyscrapers and office blocks to safety, then the JSSDF could drop all of the N2 mines they wanted without having to risk Shinji's survival.

At least that what she hoped would happen. If she got trapped inside the Dirac she had few illusions that she could make the dramatic last minute escape that Shinji had the last time around. Not to mention she had a sneaking suspicion that Dr Akagi and the Commander would be more than happy to order in the air-strike against her.

"Unit 02, moving out!" She called over the com.

"_Roger_." Misato's reply surprised Asuka. She had expected _some_ resistance from the Major to her going out there alone. "Units Zero and One standby."

'_I bet if her precious Shinji was in my place she wouldn't let him go all alone out there._' She thought sourly to herself, briefly once again experiencing the bitter taste of jealousy.

Holding the battleaxe defensively in front of Unit 02 Asuka willed the Evangelion out from behind its hiding spot. She stood there, out in the open, for a few heart pounding seconds waiting for a response from the enemy.

Nothing happened. After a few more seconds she surmised that it appeared to be content to just hang there serenely above her. Asuka gripped the control handles tightly as she moved forward a few steps, making sure to keep the giant robot within easy reach of the remaining buildings in case she needed to jump free of the Angel's shadow. She frowned, '_Or is that over sized billiard ball up there the shadow? This Angel always confused me… Stupid Angel_.'

"What's the status on the target?" She asked over the com channel.

"Unchanged." Was Misato's tense answer. "Waveform pattern still reading Orange."

"Moving forward." Asuka said, her mouth feeling dry despite the LCL. "Make sure you keep the other two in position, I don't want them blundering in and ruining everything!" She said in a desperate attempt to keep Unit 01 away from the Angel.

Misato didn't reply.

Slowly Unit 02 moved towards the Angel. The city around her felt preternaturally still. Not even the faintest of breezes animated the air surrounding her Eva. Unconsciously Asuka hefted the axe in front of her Unit 02 as if she hoped to shield herself from the Angel's regard, while all of the time her eyes scanned the street before her for the faintest hint of the black shadow that only _she_ knew was this messenger's most dangerous weapon.

Finally she was standing just in front of the black and white sphere. It loomed massively over her, many times larger than Unit 02. '_I don't remember it being this big_.' She thought. '_But then I didn't get quite this close to it last time._'

The Angel was in easy striking distance of her progressive battleaxe, she tensed herself, ready to deliver the first blow and then jump free of the shadow.

This close to the sphere the air seemed to crackle with tension and energy that radiated off of it. She could almost feel it observing her, not Unit 02 but _her_, as it hung impossibly in the air above her. Asuka closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath of LCL, feeling it soak her lungs with oxygen rich liquid before pushing it out smoothly and fluidly, in the way that only fully charged LCL seemed able to do.

She opened her eyes again, the Angel filled her vision almost entirely now. She clasped the handle of the axe tightly, feeling its weight transmitted through the Evangelion's nerve links to her own arms. "_Ikuhayo Asuka_." She breathed into the LCL. Once she started to swing that axe, she knew that she would need all of her long forgotten skills and training to make it free of the shadow. The slightest slip or stumble would send her into the darkness of the Dirac. For her, she knew, there probably would not be a last minute escape before the bombs fell.

Asuka began to raise the axe over Unit 02's head.

"_Massive energy reading detected from within the Target!_" She head Lieutenant Aoba call over the com channel. "_Wavelength confirmed_, _Blue_!"

"_Units 01 and 00, countermeasures!_" Misato's voice sounded shrilly in her ears. "_Protect Unit 02_!"

"_No_!" Asuka cried, caught by surprise by the sudden change in events. "_Stay back_!" Rapidly she swung the battleaxe in an arc over her head, but before she could hope to make contact with the orb a blast from Unit 00's sniper rifle crackled and split the air above her. Before it could even pierce the Angel's surface the sphere vanished into nothingness.

"_What the Hell?_" Misato gasp of disbelief rang in the pilots' ears.

"Scheiße!" Asuka swore as the ground beneath her Evangelion turned into blackness. Desperately she buried the head of her battleaxe in the side of one of the rapidly sinking buildings by the side of the street. By this time her Unit 02 had vanished up to its knees in the shadow that was spreading across the city. She had expected that moving through the shadow would be akin to struggling through quicksand, or at least how she imagined quicksand would feel. Instead she could feel nothing from her own knees down, her legs still sat astride the pilot's seat, but due to her synchronisation with Unit 02, she had no sensation from them but a vague sense of coldness.

"_The shadow! The Angel is the shadow_!" She heard Lieutenant Hyuga scream over the channel.

"No _shit_!" Asuka grunted as she threw Unit 02 into a scrambling climb onto the rapidly sinking tower and climbed up onto the protruding axe handle and up to the top of the building.

"Asuka!" She heard Shinji call out.

"_Shinji,_ _stay back!_" She screamed hoarsely over the com channel. The building she was perched on was nearly lost beneath the shadow. Asuka launched her Eva into a desperate leap onto a slightly higher building thirty metres away and surveyed the scene. Between Unit 02's rapidly sinking perch and the safety of the "shore" of this black sea was about two hundred metres filled with scattered remains of office towers and armament buildings that were slowly subsiding into the shadow.

There was no time to lose.

Leaping from building to building she forced Unit 02 to leapfrog its way closer to safety. Once she missed her footing slightly and just managed to grasp the top of a sinking tower as she reached desperately for a handhold. Once again she felt the numbing cold as her Eva's lower legs slipped into the shadow, but she was just able to use the brute strength of the upper body of the android to haul herself out of it and back onto the building top.

"_Two more to go!_" She said to herself. Without stopping to think further she jumped her Eva onto the remains of a cell phone tower. The last building between her and the edge of the shadow had only a floor or two left protruding, and those were sinking fast. She jumped the short gap and braced herself for the final lunge. It was going to be a long shot, but she thought that she just might make it.

"_Asuka!" _ Shinji's cry distracted her for a split second and she focused on the 'shore'. Unit 01 was by the shadow's edge now and had its enormous pistol aimed at the Angel. Before she could reply to him the air was filled with the concussive sound of Shinji emptying the entire magazine into the shadow in a futile attempt to kill it.

"_Baka!_" Asuka yelled. "_Get out of the fucking way_!"

Instinctively Unit 01 took a step back from the edge just as Asuka's perch was beginning to disappear completely.

There was no time for thought anymore, Asuka just leapt.

As if in slow motion she could see the edge of the shadow growing closer, every detail perfectly defined as the Evangelion sailed through the air. There were unintelligible voices echoing in her ears over the com link, she could see the vivid purple black and green of Unit 01's arm as it tried to reach out to her Eva. It was all taking an eternity to get there but she was still sure that she was going to make it.

Which was why it came as a terrible shock to her the speed at which she suddenly realised that she was going to land about thirty metres short.

"_Shinji_!" She screamed, without even realising that she had done so, as the numbness of the shadow engulfed the lower half of her body. Instantly she deployed her progressive knife and attempted to slash at the Angel. This was as useless as Shinji's shots had been. She threw the knife away in frustration and tried her best to haul Unit 02 to the edge, but there was no purchase or traction possible in the fabric of the shadow.

"_Fuck_!" Asuka swore, desperately trying to get her Eva to the edge as more and more of her body became numb to her on this plane.

"Asuka, grab my hand!" Shinji's voice came over the link. She looked up from her struggles and saw that Unit 01 was attempting to reach out to her from the shore of the black sea. Even then he came up just a little too short.

"_No_!" Asuka screamed at him. "_I said fucking get back_!" She tried her best to pull away, the coldness reaching up to her chest now. She realised now that she was going down, nothing could stop it. '_At least'_ She thought, trying to hold Unit 02's arms out of the shadow, '_I've kept Shinji out of this!_' She closed her eyes and even allowed herself a smile. '_You owe me Ayanami!_'

Her thoughts were interrupted by a tugging on her right arm.

"_Shinji, what are you doing_?" Misato's voice sounded hoarse in her ears.

Asuka's stomach sank as she opened her eyes. Above the nearly submerged form of her Unit 02 towered the purple behemoth that was Evangelion Unit 01.

"_Come on Asuka, help me_!" Came Shinji's strained voice. Unit 01 had a tight grip on her Eva and was trying to haul it bodily out of the shadow. With horror she saw that the purple unit was already thigh deep in the blackness itself.

"_Idiot!_" She yelled at him. "_What the fuck do you think you're doing_?"

"Getting you out of here!" Shinji yelled back at her.

"_Scheiße_!" She swore again to herself as she pulled herself a little higher above the surface. "You're gonna get us _both_ trapped in here, _baka_!"

"I can't just let you sink right in front of me!" He said between gasping breaths. "_Come on_!"

"You _always_ have to be the goddamn hero!" Asuka groaned pulling herself towards the shore. "You really shit me sometimes Ikari!"

"_Hold on Asuka!_"

"I'm fine!" She yelled at him as the shadow reached to below Unit 02's shoulders.

Together the two Evangelions struggled closer to the shore, both of them finding it nearly impossible to grapple in the numbing darkness of the black sea. They were somehow managing to use each other to inch painfully closer to the edge of the shadow. Exhaustion was beginning to take its toll on them both though. Despite the help from Unit 01, Asuka was feeling the numbness rising higher and higher as she knew that her Eva was losing its battle with the shadow.

"Asuka!" She vaguely heard Shinji call out, but she could no longer hold the shadow back as it finally reached above her shoulders. She couldn't feel her body at all now, only her right arm, the one that the Unit 01 still held above the surface, remained hers to control, and that could do almost nothing.

"Shinji!" A voice, barely recognisable as the First Child's rang out over the link.

"Asuka!" She heard the boy call out again as the numbness travelled up her face. "Asuk… "

Then the world went white.

Strangely now she could feel her body again, the chilling numbness gone from her completely. All around her was white nothingness, no features, nothing. There wasn't even the sense of a space with nothing in it. Or a sense that there was anything beyond the confines of her cockpit. There was just… nothing.

Nothing except a building pressure on her right arm that seemed to draw her away from the whiteness. She regarded it almost curiously as it got stronger and stronger. The sensation grew and travelled further up her arm until the world suddenly exploded in a conflagration of colour and noise. There was a feeling of travelling through thin air followed by a muted impact at her back.

Asuka gasped in a huge gulp of LCL and turned her body around to look at the bright blue sky above her and smiled to herself. "You _actually_ managed to do it, baka."

"Emergency crews to site." Misato's voice blared in her ears. "Eject the pilot and arrange medivac ASAP! Unit 00 withdraw to original position."

"I'm okay…" Asuka tried to say before the plug went dark and the jerking sensation of a forced ejection followed by a rough landing that made her bang her head and forced most of the LCL from her lungs. Rapidly the fluid level in the plug drained away and she spent the next several seconds painfully coughing up the remaining liquid from her respiratory tract.

She took several deep breaths of the dank air in the plug before reaching up and releasing the emergency hatch. Feeling completely wrung out she hauled her self up and out of the hatch, spitting out the last of the LCL as she did so.

Unit 02 lay sprawled on its front several dozen metres away from her. Looking inelegant but otherwise undamaged. Unit 00 stood between it and the shadow that spread out over most of the western quarter of Tokyo 3. Or what used to be the western quarter. Now it was just a sea of blackness stretching out 680 metres in front of the blue Evangelion that towered above her.

Unit 01 was nowhere to be seen.

When Misato finally arrived on the surface, the medical teams had already finished patching up the cut on Asuka's forehead. As the redhead sat nursing a cup of bitter instant coffee next to the hastily set up response station, she only had to look at her guardian's face to know that once again she had failed.

* * *

><p>The harsh glare of the halogen lighting gave the surrounding darkness a weight that was almost oppressive. Above it all the zebra striped sphere hung serenely. Seemingly indifferent to the cares of the city beneath it.<p>

"So you're just going to let that blonde bitch blow him up then?"

"I don't _need_ this right now Asuka!" Misato snapped back at her.

"Come on, I mean, really? Is that the _best_ that the planet's greatest scientific minds, working for an organisation with a budget that could end World Hunger, can come up with? Bomb the shit out of this thing with a bazillion N2 mines and hope that Unit 01 will miraculously pop out of the ground and wave _hello_ at us? _Are they stupid_?"

"According to Ritsuko, the Magi have calculated that this course of action has the highest chance of success. _So_ at 0630 you and Rei will use your A-T Fields to focus the blast and protect the city, and the UN air fleet will drop its entire stock of N2 mines onto the Angel." She paused for effect. "You got a better plan Asuka? 'Cos I'm all ears if you do!" Misato sounded desperate to believe that there was some hope of Shinji emerging alive from wherever this Angel had him. Asuka felt for her guardian, but also felt a burning anger at what she knew to be a rescue mission for Unit 01 only. The life of Shinji was a secondary consideration to Ritsuko and the Commander and both she and Misato knew it.

"It still sucks, don't try and tell me it doesn't Misato!"

"I _really_ don't have time for this!" The Major replied tiredly. "Be ready to sortie at 0600. Don't worry… Shinji will find a way back… he always does."

She was left alone again as Misato strode off to deal with the preparations for the drop. Asuka ran her hands through her long red hair and sighed loudly. "I hope that you're right, Misato." She whispered to herself. Even though she knew what _should_ happen next a large knot of tension still roiled inside her stomach. What if things went differently this time? The battle itself had gone differently, even though the result had been much the same. What if that minor change meant that Unit 01 didn't go berserk and rip its way out a mere fifteen seconds before the N2 mines were dropped? What if by attempting to protect Shinji from this Angel she had condemned him to death inside the nothingness of the Dirac sea?

She looked at the timer on the wrist panel of her suit. Two hours until they were due to sortie. Two hours and twenty-three minutes until the projected failure of Unit 01's life support systems. Two hours and thirty minutes until the UN Air Fleet was due to obliterate the 12th Angel with a massive strike of N2 mines.

"Arrrgh!" Asuka growled. "This is driving me fucking crazy!"

Stomping moodily between the arcs of light from the lighting gantries she headed for the white catering van with the self serve powdered coffee machine and pre-wrapped sandwiches that seemed to lurk in the background of every NERV external operation.

Twisting the dials to concoct the unspeakable horror in a paper cup that these contraptions always brewed in the place of coffee, Asuka continued to agonise and replay the previous battle in her head. Last time around Unit 01 has torn its way out of the Angel just as the UN bombers had appeared overhead. That didn't give her a big window of opportunity if it failed to appear in the same way _this_ time around.

"Stupid fucking Shinji…" She muttered as she leaned on a nearby railing that overlooked the black sea that had so recently swallowed the Third Child. "Always has to be the big fucking hero… Baka's got some kind of freaking Messiah Complex or something."

She took a swig of the bitter instant coffee and grimaced at the flavour. "_Stupid Shinji…" _She repeated.

"He fell attempting to rescue you, Pilot Soryu." A voice interrupted her sour musings. "I fail to see how that is an act of stupidity."

The redhead did not even turn her gaze away from the shadow to answer. "Like you said, Wondergirl, he fell '_attempting'_ to rescue me. Did he succeed?"

"No, he did not. Though he did manage to keep Unit 02 out of the shadow until Unit 00 was able to pull it free."

"Exactly!" Asuka sneered in reply. "I had everything under control until he showed up, disobeying orders to try and be the _uber-boy_ hero and save the poor helpless little girl. Now he's stuck _again_ in that fucking shadow and to make it even more galling I had to get saved by you!"

"I do not understand."

Asuka just turned her head slightly to look at the other girl. "You wouldn't, Wondergirl." She said with a sigh, resting her chin on her hands as she leant heavily on the railing. "Neither of you have a tactical bone in your thin pasty bodies! _He_ only blunders on in and tries to bash his way through and you… All you seem to be good for is noble but essentially futile suicide missions! Both of you gladly would die just to be noticed by the Commander!" Asuka's voice grew harsher as she went on. "You both would try and kill yourselves just to get his attention! Well tell me, _honour student_, what fucking good has it done either of you? What use is empty praise when you're _dead_?"

The blue haired girl was silent for several moments. Eventually she spoke "It is all that I have." She answered in an almost plaintive voice.

Asuka turned around fully and faced the other girl. Rei just stared at her, a look of mild confusion the only emotion showing on her face.

"Pathetic." Asuka said wearily. "I swear that I'm to only sane person in this whole fucking universe!"

"Then why is it that you pilot Unit 02?" Rei asked her suddenly. "Do you not also pilot for the praise of others?"

Asuka laughed bitterly at the First Child's question.

"I do not understand how you find humour in my question." Rei said.

"At the risk of repeating myself, you wouldn't First, you _really_ wouldn't!" The German girl replied shaking her head. "Let's just call it _déjà vu_!"

Still Rei looked at Asuka quizzically.

"Fine, _Wondergirl_! I will admit that once upon a time I _did_ pilot my Eva because it made me feel special, I received praise and it made me feel as though I was worth something. I was the best at what I did and people treated me with respect because of that. Now, frankly, I could give a rat's ass what most of them thought!" Asuka said, gesturing widely with her right arm as if encompassing the whole of Tokyo-3. "Now I Pilot because it's the only chance I've got to set things right. You wouldn't understand Ayanami, but between you, me and blunder boy we've got to fix up this clusterfuck world or the whole of Humanity is down the toilet!"

"You are referring to the Angels?"

"Oh boy, you are so _dense_ sometimes First!" She decided to change tack and grabbed Rei's arm, bringing her to the railing. "What do you see out there?

"The Angel."

"Good girl!" Asuka said sarcastically. "And what's so special about this Angel?"

The other girl frowned. "Pilot Ikari is trapped within it."

"Call him _Shinji_, like you did in the battle. The way you call him '_Pilot Ikari_' all the time makes him sound like some kind of appliance or something!"

The blue haired girl hesitated for a few more moments. "Shinji is trapped within the Angel." She said finally.

"How does that make you feel?" The German girl probed.

"I feel an emptiness within myself at the thought of Shinji inside that shadow. My stomach aches in an unfamiliar way when I consider his wellbeing."

Asuka looked more closely at Rei. Up till that point she had considered the First Child as little more than one of the Commander's pawns in the lead up to Third Impact. Thereafter to become the more ethereal pain in the ass that was responsible for her being where she was right at that moment. Now she weighed up the fairness of her opinion.

"So you're _worried_ for him?"

Rei frowned for a moment, as if pondering a troubling concept. "Yes." She answered simply.

Asuka drained the last of her coffee and threw the paper cup over the rail. "So… how do _you_ feel about Shinji?"

"He is an effective pilot."

"What the fuck kind of answer is _that_?" The redhead growled, burying her face in her hands in exasperation.

Rei just stared at her without answering.

"I'm going to ask again, using simple words." Asuka said slowly and with what she felt was extreme restraint. "How does Shinji make you _feel_?"

To her surprise a faint, almost indiscernible blush crept over the First Child's cheeks. "When I consider Shinji's wellbeing, I feel warm… inside." She answered softly.

"Hallelujah!" Asuka exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Finally a straight answer!"

"I do not see what..."

"Let me _explain_ this to you, Wondergirl." Asuka interrupted. "Thinking about Shinji makes you feel all warm and fluffy inside, yes? And now that he's in danger you're worried about him and want him to come back unharmed, right?"

"That is correct."

"'_That is correct._'" Asuka mimicked. "Why not just say yes? Try and speak like a normal person, not some fucking robot!"

"Yes." Rei answered.

"So in other words, you care for him!"

Rei Ayanami dropped her gaze to the darkened streetscape on the shadow's edge. "Do I care for him? Is that what I feel?"

"Are you _dense_? Of course you do!" Asuka replied. "When you feel like that about another person, it's called caring. Some people even call it '_love_.'"

The First Child returned her gaze to Asuka's questioningly, but said nothing.

"Though, of course," Asuka continued. "I wouldn't take that information too far if I were you! If you two ever had children they would all probably have no teeth and remarkable skills with the banjo!"

"I… I cannot have children." Rei answered with puzzlement.

"Sheesh! I was just joking Wondergirl!"

"I did not realise."

Asuka sighed, stepped back from the rail and stretched her arms up above her. "So, why are you here, Wondergirl? As much as I enjoy these _'Real Girl'_ moments, I'm not sure if I want to be the singing cricket to your Pinocchio right now."

The blue haired girl's brows moved downward slightly in confusion at Asuka's words. "I have recently felt a strong compulsion to speak with you, Pilot Soryu."

"_You_, want to talk with _me_?"

"Yes."

"Okay…" Asuka replied uncertainly. "A strong compulsion to speak to me, you say? What about exactly, Wondergirl? _Please_ don't let it be the talk about where babies come from or ask me to show you the meaning of love, 'cos I'm _not_ going there!"

"No, those are not topics that I wish to discuss with you." Rei answered. "Of greater interest to me is why you are different."

"Me? _Different_?"

"Yes. Since the day of your outburst in the classroom, your behaviour has altered significantly. Initially I was disinterested in the reason for this change, but recently I have felt compelled to seek you out to find out why."

"It's not something you would understand, Wondergirl."

"Would Mr Kaji Understand?"

"Huh?" Asuka asked in confusion. "What the hell does that mean?"

"The other day when you spoke to Mr Kaji at the Café near the market, he appeared to be surprised at what you had said to him. Did you confide in him the reason for your changed behaviour?"

"What the fuck… !" Asuka exclaimed. "How did you know about that?"

"I observed you speaking with him that day. I had been attempting to seek you out to converse with you, but he appeared so I concealed myself from your presence." Rei replied. "I do not trust Mr Kaji."

"So how long have you been spying on me?"

"I have not been spying on you, Pilot Soryu. I merely sought you out on that occasion due to my strong desire to converse with you."

"Fine, whatever." A small note of fear sounded in hear head. "So I suppose _now_ the Commander knows all about this as well? I mean you'd never even cut your toenails without telling Commander Ikari all about it!"

"I have not mentioned this to the Commander." Rei answered with apparent confusion. "I do not wish him to know about my interest in your behaviour. He would tell me to cease as it has no relevance to my piloting ability."

Asuka closed her eyes for a second and sighed. "Why me? Don't I have enough problems without babysitting you as well? It's all your fault that I'm stuck here anyway!"

"I am not sure of what you mean."

"Let's keep it that way for the time being, eh Wondergirl?" Asuka said pushing herself away from the railing. "At the risk of turning my innards to sludge, I need another coffee! Talking with you for more than three minutes is enough to wear anyone out!"

Rei watched as the Second Child walked tiredly away from her and back to the nearby van. The voice inside her that she had felt had been goading her into seeking out the other girl was strangely silent for the time being. She knew that following Pilot Soryu any further this night would only be likely to provoke her.

Feeling strangely satisfied with how their talk had gone, Rei walked away from the rail overlooking the Shadow and went to wait by her Evangelion until the time to sortie arrived.

The city was again silent and still, as if holding its breath for what the dawn would bring.

* * *

><p>"<em>N2 drop inbound<em>."

"Roger." Misato stood in the makeshift command post watching the Evangelions move into their pre-arranged positions near the Shadow. She had insisted on staying down there with some of the lowlier techs even when most of the main NERV personnel involved had returned to the relative safety of the Command Bridge. She wanted to be as close to the action as she could. She wanted to be there if Unit 01 was retrieved. She wanted to be the first person Shinji saw when they opened the plug door.

She knew that Asuka often complained loudly that she mollycoddled the boy. Perhaps the girl was right? Though the Major actually thought that Asuka was more than likely jealous of Misato's attention to the Third Child. '_She got it bad for him, that's for sure_' She thought with a wry smile. '_Poor kid. He's got no idea what that girl would do if she got her hooks into him_.' She sipped at her coffee and felt just a little envious of the redheaded girl who was still in the carefree days of youth. '_Just wait 'til you grow up Asuka. You'll see how truly cruel the world can be_!'

Her smile faded as she considered that perhaps none of these kids actually ever had the chance to have the childhoods that they deserved. '_Once we defeat the Angels, then things will be better… things will be normal.._.'

"_T-minus_ _Thirty seconds until N2 drop."_

"Roger_."_ She repeated. She flicked open the communications channel to the two Evangelions. "N2 mines inbound, deploy AT-Fields at maximum."

She watched the distortion in the air as Units 00 and 02 spread their AT-Fields out so as to protect the city and focus the energy released from the N2 mines directly into the heart of the Shadow.

"_Come on, come on, come on Shinji..._"

If not for the tension of the situation Misato would have smiled. She knew that Asuka would not even realise that she was speaking those words over an open com channel for the whole of the command centre to hear.

"_T-minus Twenty seconds until drop_."

"_Come on Shinji, come on Shinji, come on Shinji_…" Asuka's mantra had a desperate edge to it now.

Despite the coolness of the early morning, Misato could feel the sweat pooling in the small of her back.

"_T-minus fifteen seconds_."

Somewhere amongst the incredible tension, Misato realised that Asuka had suddenly stopped speaking.

"_T-minus ten seconds_."

"Unit 02 has lowered its AT-Field!"

"_What_ _the fuck_?" Misato cursed in disbelief. "Abort N2 Drop! Abort!"

A brief crackle of static. "_N2 Drop aborted_." Came the confirmation.

Misato was seething "Asuka, what the _hell_ do you think…."

A yell from Lt Aoba over the link to Central Dogma interrupted her rant. "_Massive energy reading from inside the target_!"

Misato's eyes swung to the monitor in front of her as the sphere floating above the city turned suddenly black and begin to writhe and shudder. Rapidly small fissures began to appear all over it surface.

"Asuka, Rei. Standby, we don't know what…" Once again she was interrupted.

"_He's done it_!" Asuka suddenly yelled. Misato thought briefly that the girl sounded almost triumphant.

As Unit 02's pilot said those words, Misato could see the fissures widen on the sphere and thick dark blood begin pouring out of them, spattering the shadow below. She zoomed the view in on one of the larger splits in the fabric of the Angel and was astonished as two enormous grue covered hands emerged through it.

"Is that…"

The bloody hands grasped and ripped the rent wide open revealing finally the terrifying sight of Unit 01 tearing its way out of the Angel. As its head trust through the opening it had made the Evangelion let out a shattering roar that shook the makeshift command post that Misato was in, causing equipment to rattle and fall of the shelves around her.

"Oh my God, what _is_ that thing?" She gasped in horror.

More gore began to fall of the disintegrating Angel as the whole of NERV watching in disbelief as Unit 01 tore it to shreds. Finally the Evangelion completely destroyed the sphere and landed still roaring onto the surface of the shadow as bloody carnage rained around it. The blackness split asunder at the impact. The Eva then finally stood still, seemingly staring straight at Misato as she stood shell-shocked in the temporary Command Post.

"_The target has gone completely silent_." The over-awed voice of Lt Aoba sounded over the com link from Central Dogma.

"R-Roger." Misato answered. "Transmit eject code for Unit 01 and despatch medical and recovery crews immediately."

"_Roger_."

Grabbing her jacket Misato exited the Command Post and walked wearily in the pale light of dawn to the waiting V-TOL that would fly her to where Unit 01 now crouched amongst the debris of the defeated Angel.

Her Shinji was back.

* * *

><p>Asuka tossed and turned again on her bed, causing the sheets to tangle and wrap around her body like a shroud. In frustration she threw the bedclothes off her and sat up. The glowing green numbers on her bedside clock showed 12:17am. She groaned and flopped back down onto the mattress. She still was unable to sleep most nights. Even though the battle and its aftermath had left her feeling completely drained and exhausted, sleep was still difficult at best for the German girl since she had returned to the pre-Impact world.<p>

Although she felt a massive weight of relief at the fact that Shinji had still managed to escape from the 12th Angel. '_No thanks to me!_' She thought wryly. The day had been a frustrating one. She had wanted to go to see him in the Infirmary, but her guardian, of course, had other ideas.

A two and a half hour chewing out from Misato had awaited Asuka in the briefing room when she had returned to base. The Major had wanted to know why Asuka had lowered her AT-Field just as the UN was about to drop their N2 Mines, and didn't seem to take "_It was just a feeling I had._" As an valid excuse. A heated argument had followed. Then an awkward silence. Followed by the Major giving the startled Second Child an unexpected hug and sobbing "_He's back_!" Over and over onto the girl's shoulder. Then debriefing, medical examinations and psychograph testing had taken Asuka well into the later hours of the evening.

She was annoyed because she had wanted to go and see Shinji in the Infirmary. '_I didn't even get to hear Wondergirl say her line this time_.' She mused bitterly. By the time she had returned to the apartment Shinji had been discharged from the Infirmary and had gone to bed. Feeling disconsolate and alone Asuka ate a small supper and turned in herself.

Now here she was. She hadn't seen a bed for nearly 48 hours. Surely if she was ever going to get some sleep in this time frame it should be now! Instead she still found it almost impossible to get any decent slumber. The turmoil in her mind and stomach would give her no rest.

"_This is fucking ridiculous_!" She muttered as she sat on the side of the bed. The pale moonlight streamed in through her bedroom window, giving everything a muted blue tinge.

'_Shinji is okay'_ She told herself. Still she hadn't actually seen him since _before_ the battle. Maybe _that_ was what the problem was. With a new purpose she stood up and walked to her bedroom door. Gingerly she slid it open, making as little noise as possible. The apartment was quiet. Only the hum of Pen-Pen's custom refrigerator was audible to her in the stillness of the night air.

Carefully she crept along the hallway.

_Shinji's Lovely Suite_

The katakana almost seemed to mock her as she stood poised at his door. What felt like hours passed as Asuka stood, her heart pounding and her mouth dry. Finally she put her hand to the door.

"_Ikuhayo, Asuka_." She whispered to herself as she slid the door gently open.

The first thing that she noticed was that Shinji's room was a lot darker than hers. It took several seconds before she made out the shape of him under the bedclothes. '_Just gotta make sure_.' She thought to herself as she padded softly across the room to where his bed lay. The steady rhythm of his breathing comforted her. She realised that she hadn't heard it like this for a long time.

"I'm glad that _you_ can sleep, baka…"

Delicately she brushed his hair away from his forehead with her hand. "_I'm glad that you made it out okay… I missed you Shinji_…" She said softly. She could feel her eyes beginning to prickle with tears. '_This is getting sappy now!_' She thought. '_The Great Asuka Langley Soryu, blubbering like a silly schoolgirl_!'

"Sweet dreams, Shinji-kun." She sniffed before turning and starting to walk out of the room.

"Asuka?"

She froze.

"Asuka, is that you?" Shinji's voice came blearily from behind her.

"Go back to sleep, Shinji. _I'm not here_. This _never_ happened."

"What are you doing here?"

With a sigh Asuka turned around. Shinji half sat up in his bed before her. Self consciously she pulled down the hem of her short nightshirt.

"I-I was… " She stammered. "I was just making sure that you were okay, baka!" She said. "As your superior it's my duty to make sure that you're fit and well…. and… I thought…" Asuka sniffed again loudly as realised that she was starting to flounder.

"Asuka?" Shinji said again with more concern in his voice. "Are you okay?"

She could feel a small dam inside of her straining to burst. For well over a year she would have given anything to hear those words from him. She had lived and struggled to keep them both alive for months without even the merest acknowledgement from him that he knew or even cared that she existed and how much she had fought and sacrificed for him. Now, finally, she could hear the concern, concern for _her_, in his voice.

Its tone of offered comfort was almost more than she could bear.

"I-I'm… I'm o-okay…" She sputtered, tears rolling unbidden down her cheeks. "I just… " She turned to leave again, wanting to flee before she lost control.

"Asuka, what's wrong?"

She stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him. He was sitting up fully in the bed now, she could see his eyes shining in the dim moonlight.

"I… I've missed you…" She said forlornly.

"Missed me?" He replied in confusion.

She just nodded, wiping the tears from her hot cheeks.

"I… I… what do you mean?" He asked her.

She walked back towards him and sat on the side of the bed, causing his eyes to widen slightly.

"I mean you, baka!" She whispered, poking him hard in the middle of his chest.

"Oww.. "

"I-I… " Asuka began, before choking on the words as she felt a fresh stream of tears overflowing from her eyes. "All I've done is fuck things up. _I'm_ the best pilot! _I'm_ supposed to have the plan… But… But _Nothing_ I do is going right…. " She sniffed vainly as more tears flowed. "I… I was scared Shinji. Me! Scared! I'm never scared! I've fought so long… I've never been so scared as I was today!"

Asuka buried her face in her hands, trying, even in the gloom of the bedroom, to hide her _shame_ at weeping like some _silly little girl_ in front of _Shinji_ of all people!

"It's okay, Asuka." Shinji said, shocked at the display from the supposedly untouchable Asuka Langley Soryu. "I-I was scared too. When I was in the Angel I was scared that I would never see any of you again."

"No!" Asuka exclaimed, her voice still muffled by her hands. "You don't get it! I was scared that because of me you would _die_ inside that Angel! Because I thought that I was so great that all I had to do was take your place in the battle and you'd be safe! Instead, I nearly lost you! I very nearly fucked up everything just because I thought that I was too good to fail! Instead of protecting you I thought that I'd lost you forever this time!"

She started as she felt his hand touch her on the shoulder. "Asuka." Shinji said softly. "You didn't fail. I'm here. I got out okay…" He smiled at her as she lifted her head out of her hands and looked at him.

"I know." She sniffed. "But I was _scared_ that I'd lose you!"

"You didn't…" He answered "I'm still here Asuka."

"I'm glad Shinji… I really am."

"Me too… it was really boring inside that Angel!" Shinji joked. Then he hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath. "…and I-I'm sorry that I didn't talk to you… You know… before. I thought that you were just toying with me before…. I didn't think you would k-kiss someone like me unless you wanted to tease me about it… Sorry."

"Baka!" She said, smacking him lightly on the chest. "What kind of floozy do you think I am?"

"I… I…"

"Don't answer that!" She said with mock sternness.

"Sorry."

"And stop apologising!"

"Sorr… " He hung his head" …okay."

A comfortable silence fell between the two pilots for several minutes. Eventually Shinji grew self conscious and took his hand off of Asuka's shoulder. The night air felt cold to her where his hand had been. She stared at her hands for a few more minutes, twisting the fabric of the hem of her nightshirt self-consciously.

"Shinji…" She spoke up at last.

"Yes."

"C-Can I stay here for a while? My bedroom feels so cold and empty." Asuka asked. She was glad for the darkness because she was sure that the heat of her blush was almost enough to be visible from Odawara otherwise.

She smiled as she heard him swallow loudly. "S-s-sure, Asuka…" He stammered.

"Just for sleeping." She said. "No funny business!"

"Yes Asuka." He replied wearily, lying back down on the bed on rolling over on his side to face the window.

Asuka pulled the cover back aside and shimmied in beside him. For a few minutes they lay awkwardly that way. Deliberately going out of their way not to touch each other. After a little longer Shinji heard Asuka murmur something like. "_Ah, to hell with it_." Before he could ask what she meant he felt two slender arms circle around his chest and the overwhelming scent of Asuka's shampoo envelope him as he felt her snuggle herself up against his back.

Asuka grinned to herself as she felt his body tense up at such close contact between them. Right now she didn't care. She could feel herself surrounded by the smell of him that was so familiar to her. Sure he had a lot more flesh on his bones since last time she had held him like this in the night, but everything from the rhythm of his breathing to the warmth that radiated of his body felt like it belonged next to her like this.

Before many more minutes had passed Asuka Langley Soryu was in a blissfully deep sleep the likes of which she had not had since she had returned to Tokyo-3.

Shinji, on the other hand, did not sleep a wink.

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter Eight<strong>

A/N: Yet another tough chapter to write. The early scenes were quite slow going and then, once Rei and Asuka had their little talk things just flowed nicely. Inspiration be a fickle mistress… Arrrrr!

I wanted to end on a bit of a WAFFy note. I figure Asuka has struggled and tried so hard to make a difference, without much joy, that the poor girl deserved a break. Not to mention I was worried that people might get sick of our heroine lurching from once disaster to another!

Although there will be more trial and tribulations to come, from this point in the story Asuka starts to have more of an impact, so to speak, on the original timeline!

So… Please review let me know your thoughts on the story so far!

Thanks for reading!

Cheers!

Donderkind.

P.S. On a side note, I realised a big continuity error in the middle of one of the major scenes in this chapter, which I had to re-write a big chunk of just an hour or so before writing this bit. Hopefully you can't tell where it was! :-)


	9. Asuka on the Shore III

_Hey there!  
><em>

_First things first... I must apologise for the massive amount of time since I last updated. This chapter has been truly a toughie to write! It was a bit of a struggle in the early stages and then as I eventually did get under way it just kinda grew and grew. It just got a teensy bit too massive, (That doesn't actually make sense, does it?) so I've split it up into two chapters, mainly for ease of reading more than anything else!  
><em>

_*Apologies to Calovan, who I told over a month ago that this update was about a week or so away! Sorry, I guess I was overly optimistic about that!  
><em>

_*Also, a big thank you to jtdarkman for some much needed encouragement! It really helped me when I was struggling with motivation for this chapter. (Actually, after I split this update up, it was motivation for the next chapter! :-) ) Thanks man, I really appreciate it!  
><em>

_So without further ado... here are the next two chapters of Unbroken!  
><em>

_Enjoy! I hope...  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>I've decided to differentiate between Rei and ReiLilith by simply calling Rei/Lilith just Lilith. Asuka will continue to call Lilith 'Wondergirl', just because, well, sometimes Asuka just likes to annoy people and/or supernatural beings. _

_Cheers!_

* * *

><p><strong>Unbroken<strong>

**Chapter 9**

**Asuka on the Shore III**

Asuka moaned in her sleep and rolled over onto her back.

"Sssshinji…" She murmured dozily, feeling around for her bed-mate. "Shinji… I'm cold…"

Her questing hand found nothing in the coarse sand.

"Shinji… " She moaned, her brow creasing above her still closed eyes. "Come back to bed, Baka… It's freezing in here…"

She made a few more small complaining noises, bringing her hands back to her naked body, trying to rid her hands of the rough gritty sand that now covered them.

'_Wait a second_… ' Her mind processed hazily. '_Sand..? Naked.._?' With a gasp she opened her eyes.

The black sky above her was cut across its face by the familiar bloody red slash of failed Instrumentality.

Asuka sat up with a groan and was greeted by the stark landscape of the dead sea shining luridly in the light of the full moon that was sinking towards the horizon. With a quick glance down she took in the almost forgotten though still intimately familiar map of scars and marks on her emaciated body

"Fucking _great_ one, Wondergirl!" She said out loud in anger. No answer was forthcoming. Looking around her she saw no sign of the ethereal pain in her ass that the former First Child had become. A darker shape against the white sand did catch her eye though.

Forcing herself onto her hands and knees she painfully crawled the few feet between her and the rifle. Wrapping her scarred and blackened fingers around the wooden stock she used the ancient weapon as a crutch to haul herself up onto her feet. Asuka looked out across the wine dark sea towards the enormous full moon that was now almost touching the horizon.

"_What the hell am I doing back here again_?" She asked the desolate shoreline.

The silence that answered her was oppressive.

Casting her gaze around she saw the clear trail of another set of footprints, similar in size to her own, leading away from where she now stood and continuing back towards the headland that she had initially come from all of that time ago. Asuka slung the rifle over her shoulder, it weight felt comforting and familiar, like an old friend. Shivering with the cold and feeling very alone she followed the other footprints along the beach.

Trying to still the butterfly of panic in her abdomen, she focused instead on her surroundings. There was something that was weird about the way the world appeared. As she trudged on she suddenly realised that it was because she was taller once again. She had gone from a fourteen year old girl to a perhaps seventeen year old woman in the blink of an eye. She was once again viewing the world from the higher perspective of near adulthood. Her joints jolted painfully with every step and her tongue once again found the gaps in her aching teeth. She had forgotten just how seriously crappy she had felt before coming back to Tokyo-03!

At last Asuka rounded the headland. Immediately her eyes were assaulted by the putrefying remainder of the split visage of Rei Ayanami out in the sea beyond. The horror of it caused the harsh bile to rise in her throat, with a effort of will she forced it back down.

Nearer to her, standing of the edge of the shoreline apparently gazing out at the face in the 'water' was a lone figure, too distant to identify. Now using the heavy old Enfield as a walking stick Asuka painfully picked up her pace. Soon the pale white skin and blue hair of the other answered her question. Lilith was engaged in a staring contest with her former glory.

Feeling the comforting heat of rage building within her, Asuka hefted the rifle into both hands and walking with purpose she cycled the bolt to bring a round up into the chamber. At the noise the figure turned to face her. The redhead strode on, now pointing the weapon out in front of her at the other inhabitant of the beach, who stared at her unreadably as she approached.

Finally she closed the distance and stood before the blue haired girl. Asuka braced her feet in the soft sand and kept the muzzle of the rifle pointing towards her adversary.

"Pilot Soryu." Lilith said evenly.

"_Wondergirl.._." Asuka snarled out. "What the _fuck_ am I doing _here_? And before you answer remember that I _am_ carrying a loaded gun!"

"Your weapon cannot harm me… " Lilith began.

**Kaboom. **

The report from the old rifle rent the air. The sound was so loud on the otherwise silent beach that it drowned out the ricochet of the bullet as it deflected off of the hexagonal field that appeared briefly in front of the former First Child.

Lilith narrowed her eyes at the German girl with disapproval.

"Just testing." Asuka said with a sardonic smile.

The blue haired being blinked at her and continued her stare without answering.

"So, once more then… Why the _hell_ am I here, _again_?" Asuka was almost shouting. "Is this another one of those stupid clichéd dreams where you advise me that time is running short? Or do you enjoy this kind of thing? Like it's some kind of ethereal power trip to show me that you're running the show? Or do you just have a thing for malnourished naked girls with guns?"

Lilith stared at her for another few moments before turning her back to Asuka and resuming her contemplation of the desolation of failed Impact.

"Answer me for fuck's sake!" The redhead was screaming now. "I'm out there, trying my God-damned best, risking my ass trying to keep it all together with the whole fucking _World_ against me because of you!" She threw the rifle angrily to the ground. "Or is that how you get off? Are you _entertained_ by my misery and failure? Is that it? Do you get your ethereal rocks off watching me blundering around Tokyo-3 looking like a god damned lunatic?"

Still Lilith did not move or acknowledge the redhead's anger.

"Fucking _look_ at me Wondergirl! The least you can do is look me in the fucking eye and _answer me_!"

With a cry Asuka launched herself at the other girl, but as she reached her there was a flash and a jolt that Asuka felt down to her bones. The next thing the redhead knew was that she was once again lying face up on the sand, with stars before her eyes and the crimson arc splitting the firmament above her.

Sitting herself up and shaking her head painfully Asuka groaned as she struggled back up onto shaky legs.

"You could have just _said_ something Wondergirl." She said more quietly. "You didn't have to deploy a freaking _AT-Field_ against me!"

Finally, Lilith turned from the sea to face her. To Asuka's shock there was a look of real sadness in her deep red eyes.

"Instrumentality has failed. Humanity, my children, have failed. Nothing is left on this dead planet." Lilith said softly. "It is all for nothing that I have laboured and suffered at their hands."

"What the _hell_ are you on about Wondergirl?"

"You." The blue haired being said flatly. "Your presence has not yet effected any significant change. You were not able to prevent the young Ikari from falling against the 12th. Despite your efforts he has not yet diverged from the path that led to his despair. You have failed. As I see it from this point, Third Impact will occur as it did also in this plane. Humanity is all but lost."

"J-Just wait a fucking second…" Asuka began, a sick feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. "Y-You mean _that's it_? One thing doesn't go your way and you've given up? Shinji gets swallowed by one Angel, and _still_ defeats it, and you're throwing in the towel?"

"There was only ever a limited time for you to effect any change. That time is almost up. You have as yet been unwilling or unable to effect any significant change. Humanity is lost." She repeated.

"_Fine_, so you're giving up?" Asuka yelled at Lilith. "So I'm guessing you've brought me back here so that I can starve to death on this god-damned beach for my sins?"

"Anger begets nothing." Lilith answered sternly. "Despite all you have gone through, you still have not changed. Your pride will do nothing to save my children from their fate. Your pride will not save Ikari-kun from falling into despair. Your pride will not comfort you when all else is lost."

"What the hell did you expect me to do?" Asuka countered. "Back there I'm just one fourteen year old girl! How am I supposed to bring down a global conspiracy of the most powerful men in the history of the world who want to moosh Humanity into bouillabaisse? I'm not even allowed out of the apartment after 8pm for heaven's sake!"

Lilith looked at her sadly. "That is why you fail."

Asuka felt just about ready to lose it completely "Don't you _dare_ start going all fucking '_Yoda'_ on me, Wondergirl! Just try speaking clearly for once in your life! Tell me how I'm supposed to bring down NERV, SEELE and the fucking UN when I can't even get _Kaji_ to believe me when I try to tell him the truth?"

"Again it is your pride which stops you from progressing child." Lilith answered sternly. "When you were sent back there was never any suggestion that you would be able to foil the machinations of the old men who, in their folly, sought godhood for themselves."

Asuka frowned in confusion. "But…"

"Do you remember why it was that you were sent back?"

"T-To stop Third Impact?"

"No." The other girl answered flatly.

Now it was Asuka's turn to stare dumbly.

"In your world, there is one person. One being who's importance and influence is above all others. One who can become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds and so condemn Humankind to oblivion if he so wishes."

"You mean Gendo?" Asuka asked. "No, wait… That Keele guy!"

"You have often boasted of your superior intellect, child." Was Lilith's prim answer.

Several long seconds passed.

"Shinji?" Asuka said incredulously.

"Yes."

"Shinji… " Asuka repeated, feeling just a little foolish. That _had_ been the reason she had been sent back after all. "Yeah… well I _knew_ that… A-And I have been trying to protect him! I was ready to dive into the Dirac sea and use Unit 02's AT-Field to protect him, but … Unit 01 tore its way out of there anyway. What was _I_ supposed to do?"

"Pilot Soryu." Lilith answered. "At no stage have I requested that you protect him from any external threat."

"Well, you could have fooled me! What the hell _was_ I supposed to do with him then? Make him breakfast in bed? Do his geography homework? Jump his scrawny ass until he can't see straight? You threw me out there _alone_, Wondergirl, it hasn't been easy trying to save the fucking world without anyone giving me even the slightest clue of how I'm actually supposed to do it!"

Lilith looked at her evenly. "Those options may have been more effective than your actual course of action, Pilot Soryu." She replied eventually.

Asuka suddenly felt the anger drain out of her body. She could feel a warm blush spread across her cheeks as she took in the implications of what Lilith had said.

"So… you wanted me to just be nice to him? Make him feel like he's not alone? Is that it."

"Correct."

Asuka frowned. "B-But I am nice to him…" She said forlornly. "I-I've even been sleeping in his bed for the last week. You know… To make him feel better…"

"No Pilot Soryu." Lilith replied sternly. "You have been seduced by the comforts of your previous life and returned all too easily to your former self. You have been sleeping in his bed for the last week because it makes you feel better. Is that not true? Since Third Impact you have not been able to sleep without him sharing your bed?"

"Y-Yeah.. but he likes it too!"

"Does he? Do you know that? What was it you said to him before you went to sleep last night?"

"I-I can't remember…"

"Did you not say: "_If you try anything perverted, Third Child, I'll rip your arm off and beat you to death with the soggy end_?"" Lilith said. The repeated threat sounding all the more damning because of the flat tone in which she repeated it.

"Maybe… " Asuka replied. "But, it was a joke… Shinji knows that's just how I talk! Anyway… you didn't see what he did in that hospital room before Third Impact! I have to be sure that he knows that I'm not going to be abused like that again!"

"What he did there was a by-product of his own self hatred. It was also what finally sent him over the precipice of despair and self loathing from which he never fully returned. The Third Child on your current plane is virtually incapable of such degradation. He does care for you, Pilot Soryu. But he also fears you. Those conflicting emotions within him are driving him closer to destruction than even he realises. If you cannot ease his uncertainty then Humanity is doomed to fail as it has before."

Asuka held her head in her hands. "Holy crap… So no pressure then!" She whispered to herself. "So basically I have to make him see that I care for him too? Ease his fragile ego through the last shitty days before Impact and hope that he's strong enough not to tip over the edge anyway?"

"Do you not care for him?"

"Well…. Yes, of _course_ I do!" Asuka answered haughtily. "I don't just go kissing _or_ climbing into bed with just _anyone_, you know!"

"Then you need to allow him to see that."

"So basically, I have to be '_nice'_ to him? Show him that I really do lo… c-care for him" Asuka said uncertainly.

"Are your stated feelings for him true?"

"Y-Yeah…" Asuka answered coyly. Not really believing that she was having _this_ conversation.

"Then why should he not believe you?"

The redhead screwed up her face slightly. "You know… That kinda stuff.. it's not really my style… He'd never believe it!"

"Nonetheless, I will allow you to continue so that you may perhaps have a positive influence on him and prevent this abomination." Lilith gestured towards the putrefying visage out to sea.

"Thanks, Wondergirl." Asuka answered with some relief. "And if you don't mind… is there another way that you can '_advise'_ me rather than bringing me back here? Perhaps hide in the ducted heating? Or maybe you could be like my invisible friend? You know… like Obi-wan Ayanami or The Great Gazoo or something like that? 'Cos I gotta say, this place is kinda depressing!"

Lilith appeared to think for a few moments. "I already exist in one form on that plane. If I were to manifest in my current state there it may cause a paradox that risks the destruction of myself or perhaps one of my other forms. I have done what I can there via one of my former vessels. I believe that she has sought you out before this?"

"_Ayanami_?" Asuka said in confusion. "Sure… She has been following me around a bit lately. Creepy kid. You mean you've been talking to her?"

"No, that would be too dangerous." Lilith said. "But I am able to influence her thinking at certain times and points. She may be able to assist you if you wish it."

"Sure… I'll think about it." Asuka replied uncertainly.

"Very well. But now you must wake up Asuka."

"Huh?"

"Wake up Asuka!"

"What the hell are you on about?"

"Asuka, you gotta get up!" Lilith's voice had changed to one more familiar to her.

Asuka's eyes opened to the worried face of Shinji Ikari leaning over her in the gloom of his bedroom.

"Waaaaugh!" Asuka screamed before Shinji's hand clamped over her mouth to muffle the noise.

"Asuka!" He whispered. "You've got to be quiet! You'll wake Misato!"

The German girl reached up and forcibly removed Shinji's hand from over her mouth.

"Uh… Sorry." He said sheepishly. "But I had to stop you from screaming so loud."

Quickly regaining her bearings Asuka realised that it was 6:30am. The time that Shinji usually got out of bed and began to prepare everyone's breakfasts and lunches. At that time she would always carefully sneak back to her own room for another hour or so more sleep. That way, hopefully, Misato would remain none the wiser about Asuka's recent nocturnal visits.

Asuka closed her eyes again and sighed in relief. She was _back_. She was off of that awful beach with its disgusting giant head and annoying inhabitant. She was back and things were normal again! Her eyes fluttered open once more.

Shinji was still leaning over her with an apprehensive look on his face. Without giving him a chance to pull away she reached up from where she lay and wrapped both of her arms around him tightly.

"Urk…" He said.

"Guten morgen, Shinji-kun!" She whispered in his ear.

"Uh… G-Good morning Asuka!" He stammered.

"Thank you for letting me sleep here!" She said brightly.

"You're welcome, I guess." He replied.

She continued to cling onto him for several more minutes.

"A-Asuka?" He said eventually.

"Yes, Shinji?"

"I better go and start making breakfast before Misato gets up!"

"Sure…" She replied. "You know, Shinji?" Asuka said as she finally let go of the boy.

"Yeah?"

"You _always_ make our breakfasts!"

"I-I don't mind." Shinji answered.

Asuka rolled over and sat up on the side of Shinji's bed, her hair askew from her disturbed night's sleep. "Well, that doesn't make it right!" She said. "Tell you what, Shinji my boy! I'm going to make you _Breakfast in Bed_! How does that sound?"

"That's alright Asuka, you don't have to do… "

"Uh-uh, Shinji! You don't get to say '_no'_ to this! I'm gonna make you breakfast and there's nothing you can do about it! What'll you have?"

"Um…" Shinji hesitated nervously. "I usually have some steamed rice, miso soup and some natto… "

"How about an omelette?"

"Well… "

"An omelette it is then!" Asuka interrupted brightly, pulling on a pair of shorts and bustling out of the room before he could reply.

Shinji smiled to himself as he sat back down on his bed. Asuka really was a complete mystery to him. Sure, she was nice to him like this when they're alone. But later on, he knew, when they were out with others, he was sure that she'd treat him like dirt yet again. That didn't mean he couldn't enjoy it while it lasted. '_I guess she's right, that does make me kind of pathetic._' He thought with a small smile.

He lay back on top of the covers as he listened contentedly to the sounds of pots and pans being clattered around inexpertly in the kitchen.

End Chapter 9

* * *

><p>So this is almost what you would call the prologue to chapter 10. I hope that you liked!<p>

Cheers!

Donderkind.


	10. Swings and Roundabouts

Now for the second part of the two chapter update to Unbroken!

* * *

><p><strong>Unbroken<strong>

**Chapter 10**

**Swings and Roundabouts**

"…and another reason why this school sucks is they take us on these _lame_ excursions and expect us to be all like, "_Oh wow_!" and crap like that!"

"Yeah… sure Asuka."

"I mean, Tokyo-3 Municipal Zoo, for crying out loud! I bet that it's just a bunch of moth-eaten macaques and a cognitively impaired elephant!"

"Uh-huh."

"Seriously, _look_ at the guide we've got!" Asuka continued her rant as she pointed to the middle aged Zoo employee that stood by the main entrance holding a clipboard. "Does he even _think_ that we're gonna take him seriously with _that_ comb-over?"

"Mmm…"

"Are you even _listening_ to me Hikari?"

"Uhh… " The Class Representative replied distractedly, looking back as several more of their classmates got out of the school bus and milled noisily in the car park.

"Hmph." Asuka pouted at her best friend, who was blatantly ignoring the redhead's growing irritation as she continued to watch where Shinji, Kensuke and Touji lounged casually near the side of the bus. The taller boy was standing and appeared to be doing most of the talking as the other two boys sat with their backs against its side and listened as the growing gaggle of middle-schoolers milled around them in the car park.

Asuka smiled to herself at Hikari's distraction. She cold never understand what her sweet, intelligent, kindly best friend saw in that ridiculous jock. Though she did have to admit that every time she looked at Suzuhara since she had returned she felt a certain complex pang of guilt and regret at the fate that he suffered at the hands of Eva.

Still, she had to admit that she was more than a little annoyed at the complete lack of regard that Hikari was giving her. Then an evil idea struck her. '_Why not?_' she thought with a small grin_. 'It'll be easy enough to deny and say it was all a joke to try and get her to pay attention_!'

"Hey Hikari," Asuka said with a sly grin. "You know that Shinji and I have been sleeping together for nearly a week now?"

"Uh-huh.." They pig-tailed girl answered her.

As Asuka suspected, Hikari was almost completely unaware of her presence.

"Well, not sleeping together in the ecchi sense! Actually just sleeping, you know, in the same bed?"

"Yeah, sure…"

"I just didn't want you to think of me as some kind of _trollop_, I am still a virgin after all!" Asuka continued, strangely enjoying herself. "Though I don't think _Shinji_ has actually been getting that much sleep, the poor sap! Judging by the big dark circles under his eyes, that is!"

Hikari just nodded, her eyes still fixed on where Touji was standing, obviously recounting some tale of sporting prowess.

"Though I've gotta say that I haven't slept this well in ages! You _really_ should try it with Suzuhara some time!" Asuka continued, a wicked grin on her face.

"Sure… Why not…" Hikari answered. "Wait." She turned to half look at the German girl quizzically. "What was that about Touji?"

"_Hikari_!" Asuka exclaimed in frustration. "You really are hopeless! You haven't been paying attention to a single word that I've been saying, have you?"

"Y-You were saying something about Touji… a-and Shinji?" The Class Rep ventured. "I think it was something about how we should stay with them, you know, once we get inside?"

"Arrrgh!" Asuka face-palmed in frustration, and also to hide her relief that Hikari hadn't actually been listening to her. "Will you stop drooling over that dumb jock!"

Hikari blushed a fetching shade of crimson. "_I am not drooling over Touji_!" She whispered fervently. "A good Class Representative observes and supervises the students under her care at all times!"

"Bah!" Asuka snorted derisively. "I'm not as stupid as your boyfriend looks Hikari!"

"Touji is _not_ my boyfriend!" Hikari answered haughtily, ignoring the way the redhead rolled her eyes. Asuka didn't miss the misty sheen that seemed to descend over her friends eyes as it seemed she contemplated the possibility of such a coupling.

"Fine, _whatever_."

A brief silence descended over the two friends as the last of the combined 2nd year classes were finally disgorged from the bus.

"So," Hikari said finally. "Should, ah, we go over and see what the boys are doing?"

Asuka sighed, blowing her hair up off of her forehead in frustration. "Sure, sounds _great_." She muttered, but Hikari was already several metres away and moving purposefully to where the three students in question were standing.

* * *

><p>" …and that's the last time that Koichi kid will ever dream of taking on the mighty arm of Touji '<em>The Tomahawk' <em>Suzuhara!"

The Tomahawk finished his tale of baseball heroism and looked back down at his two friends for what he felt was some much deserved adulation. What he saw sadly disappointed him. Kensuke was busy fiddling with the settings on his digital camcorder and Shinji was staring off into the middle distance, his eyes unfocussed and face a mask of tired disinterest.

"So?" Touji said impatiently. "What do you think?"

"About what?" Shinji asked, suddenly realising that his friend had been talking.

"I'm in the middle of something here!" Kensuke muttered impatiently, continuing to adjust the settings on his camera.

"Jeez," The track-suited boy complained. "You guys are hopeless! You weren't even listening to me, were you?"

"Sorry." Shinji said absently. "I was just… uh… thinking."

"Mmm…" The spectacled boy replied without looking up.

Touji looked at the other boy. "Why did you even bring your camera here today, Kensuke? You only ever wanna film Evas and military stuff. A school day trip to Tokyo-3 Zoo isn't gonna have any of that crap!"

Kensuke didn't even look up as he answered. "A good cameraman is always prepared!" He said earnestly. "We live in uncertain times my friends. You never know what may be just around the corner!"

"If you ask me, I think he just wants to film the monkeys having sex!" Touji said in a stage whisper to Shinji, causing them both to laugh out loud at the other boy's discomfort.

"_Philistines_!" Aida muttered as he finally put the camera back in his satchel, his face a light shade of pink, before he too allowed himself a chuckle at the taller boy's joke.

"So, Ace." Touji finally spoke after a short silence amongst the boys. "What's the deal with you lately?"

"What do you mean?" Shinji replied puzzled.

"I mean with you and the Demon." Touji answered. "She's been almost _nice_ to you! What's all that about? Not to mention that you're walking around some kinda weird daze lately. Come on, 'fess up Hotshot! You bein' kept up at night by some _Demon love_?"

"_Touji Suzuhara_!"

The three boy's head swiveled around to see Class Representative Horaki closing the last few feet before standing before them looking at the taller boy disapprovingly. A few paces behind her followed Asuka, her face unreadable as she also surveyed the trio.

"Hey, Class Rep!" Touji said without missing a beat. "Hey Demon."

"Touji!" Hikari said sharply. "Show some respect! Asuka risks her life every time this city comes under attack you know? If it wasn't for her who knows what would happen?"

"Yeah, so does Ace here!" Suzuhara replied gesturing towards Shinji. "But you don't see _him_ acting all snooty n' high and mighty about it!"

"Asuka does not act snooty…" Hikari began.

"Thanks, Hikari." Asuka interrupted, quickly getting into character. "But I don't need you to defend me from this Kansai cretin and his ignorant ramblings!"

"Asuka…" Shinji began reproachfully. He wanted to enjoy this rare opportunity for them to be away from NERV and on a school excursion without all of the usual angst and arguments. Maybe even, he thought, they could all get along and just enjoy themselves. It didn't seem too much to ask.

"Oh Puh-lease Third!" The redhead cut him off. "Though I think that _even_ you could do better than hanging around with _Pinky and the Brain_ here!" she said caustically, gesturing towards Touji and Kensuke. "You're a Pilot for God's sakes! Have some _standards_!"

"I suppose you think that _you're_ a better class of companion for him?" Touji said defensively.

Asuka paused for a second, narrowing her eyes at her classmates. "Maybe I do…" she said thoughtfully.

"What…?"

"I do believe that monkey-boy here has made a very good point!" Asuka said brightly. "Come on Shinji!" She said, holding out her hand to the boy.

"Eh?"

"Huh?"

"What was that Asuka?" Shinji asked in confusion.

"Come on Shinji." Asuka repeated. "Before that publicly employed anorak over there notices us!"

The Third Child looked around at his friends nervously before sighing to himself and getting up from where he had been sitting.

"That-a-boy Shinji!" The redhead said with a grin. Shinji looked in confusion down at her hand, which was still held out towards him. "_Come on_ Baka!" Asuka said impatiently. "I don't have cooties!" Tentatively he held his hand out, which the German girl grabbed and immediately began to drag him physically along with her and away from her baffled classmates.

"Bye Hikari! See ya later, Losers!" She called out as the two pilots quickly vanished into the throng of students and visitors milling around the Zoo's entrance gate.

The three remaining teenagers stood open mouthed and staring at the space that their two departed friends had occupied. Finally Hikari managed to find her voice and speak.

"W-What just happened?" She said.

* * *

><p>"So what flavour have you got, Shinji?" Asuka asked as he joined her at the bench seat just outside of the reptile house.<p>

"Uh… green tea." The boy answered as he handed her the other cone.

The redhead wrinkled up her nose at him. "Seriously? Green tea? Is that even a real flavour?"

"Uh… I-I… Yeah, actually, it is."

"You Japanese are _weird_." Asuka observed. "What kind of people would make _green tea_ flavoured ice-cream? You've probably got some kind of weird jelly-fish flavour too!"

"I don't think so." The boy answered with a mock-serious frown. "Although that's not such a bad idea… "

"Are you _serious_? What kind of…" Asuka paused as she saw the smile on Shinji's face. "_Fine_! Mock the beautiful foreigner! What ever happened to that famous Japanese politeness and hospitality?" She waved her own ice cream cone for emphasis.

"Sorry."

"Bah! I've told you I hate it when you do that, Shinji!"

"Uh… Sorr-okay Asuka."

The redhead smiled at him and ruffled his hair gently with her free hand. "That's okay baka-Shinji! I know that it's some kind of weird compulsion with you! Just try to curb it a little! You don't have to be sorry for _everything_ you know. Or do you have delusions of grandeur and importance that you're not telling me about?"

Shinji blushed at the contact. "I-I don't think so." He answered in confusion.

The German girl nodded. "Good, keep it that way! You know, my father, while he may not have been the best parental role model in the world, did often say one thing to me which kinda stuck." Asuka said. "He used to say to me; "_You know Asuka, not everything is your fault, you're not that important!"_"

"Um, that seems a little harsh."

"Yeah, perhaps, but I've come to realise he was actually right." Asuka answered. "Of course, that doesn't mean he wasn't a also self centred lying asshole, but I've learned to live with that."

"Hmmm…" The Third Child was obviously thinking of his own relationship with his Father.

Asuka looked at his gentle face as his brow furrowed in thought. '_Ah crap'_ She thought. _'This little diversion to try and get closer to him is not really turning into the happy date I was planning!_' She decided to steer things in a more positive direction.

"Thanks for the ice cream Shinji!" Asuka said with a genuine smile.

"Huh? Oh… yeah. You're welcome."

"You wanna try some?" She asked him, proffering her partially licked cone towards him. "It's my favourite flavour! You can't usually even get liquorice ripple ice cream in Japan, it's the best!"

Shinji looked apprehensively at the grey and white confection. Delicately he tasted at the edge of the cone. Immediately he screwed up his face at the strong flavour.

"Hmph, what would you know anyway?" Asuka huffed at his reaction.

"Sorr…" He began to say before immediately trying to suck back the word. The consequence of which meant that he started choking and spluttering as he inhaled ice cream. His face turned bright red and tears streamed down his face as Asuka began pounding vigorously on his back. Eventually he settled and his face slowly began to return to it's normal shade. Asuka grabbed a paper napkin and dabbed at his streaming eyes with it.

"Though I suppose that it _could_ be an acquired taste!" She said now more gently patting his back with her left hand. Then, quite deliberately, She licked her own ice cream, letting him see that she took from the same spot that he had tried.

Both of them returned to a companionable silence as the finished their respective cones.

Asuka saw in the distance several shorter figures surrounding a taller one with a clipboard apparently leading them. "Come on Shinji. While we're here we might as well explore this alleged zoo!" She said urgently grabbing Shinji's hand and almost dragging him off the bench, she wanted to avoid the rest of their class for as long as she possibly could.

Skirting around the brick hexagon that was Tokyo-3 Zoo's reptile house the children passed by a small pen containing some meerkats and another holding several warthogs and eventually stopped in front of one that housed a couple of dusty zebras in an optimistically named 'Savannah' enclosure.

"Man, this is the _worst_ zoo that I've ever seen!" Asuka exclaimed. "And _I've_ been to Schweinfurt!"

"I've never been to a zoo before." Shinji said quietly.

"Seriously?" Asuka said turning towards him incredulously. "How could you never have been to a zoo before? _Everyone's_ been to a god-damn zoo Shinji! Have you been living under a freaking _rock_ your whole life?"

"I…uh… no." The boy answered awkwardly. "I-It's just that my teacher, he… he said that he didn't like wasting money supporting a bunch of animals when there were people starving in the Caucasus."

"Geez, he sounds like a complete tool." Asuka said dismissively. Almost immediately she felt bad for teasing the poor boy. She had almost forgotten the loveless sterility of his upbringing.

"He was a good man…" Shinji said quietly.

"Perhaps," She answered. "But you've gotta admit that he didn't really do _crap_ for you, did he?"

"I guess not.." He answered glumly, before a thought struck him. "How do you know that?"

"Uh.. you told me yourself, back during synchronisation training, remember?" Asuka answered quickly.

"Umm…"

"You probably don't remember because that stupid leotard was cutting off the circulation to your brain at the time." Asuka continued with a grin.

"Um…yeah… it was a bit tight!" Shinji replied with a faint blush.

"A bit tight!" Asuka said teasingly. "Any tighter and I would have been able to see you change your mind!"

"Huh? What does that mean?" Shinji asked in confusion.

"Haha… I just mean… Ummmm… You know something? I'm not really sure!" Asuka said squeezing his hand tightly in hers and smiling at him. "Let's get out of here, Shinji! I don't like the way that those zebras are eyeing us off!"

She went to walk further along the path that led deeper into the zoo compound, but before she had got even three step she was brought up short by Shinji's hand pulling her back gently.

She turned back to face him and was surprised to see his face was a fetching shade of red and his eyes kept meeting hers and darting away.

"What's wrong, Shinji?" She said in confusion.

"A-Asuka… " He stammered. "I-I uh… I… can I ask you something?"

Asuka tilted her head in puzzlement at him. "Yeah, of course you can!" She said. "What's bothering you?"

"Y-You promise that you won't be angry with me?"

The red head frowned at him. "Shinji." She said in a serious tone. "How long have we known each other?"

"Uh.. umm.. about eight months or so, I guess."

"Really?" Asuka said with a small smile. "It feels longer somehow!"

"I-I suppose…" Shinji replied uncertainly, sweat forming on his brow.

"So, Shinji, in that eight months, have I ever given you the _slightest_ impression that I'm _ever_ going to be able to keep a promise that I'm _not_ going to get angry at you?"

"Erm, no…" Shinji replied with a gulp.

"So then." Asuka continued, brushing the hair back from her face with her free hand. "With that in mind, what did you want to ask me?"

"W-Well… Asuka…" The boy stammered.

"Oh for heaven's sake Shinji! Will you stop stammering and blushing like an idiot and spit it out!"

"Why are you being nice to me?" The brown haired boy blurted out.

"_Nice_?" Asuka repeated in confusion. "I just called you an idiot! How exactly is that being _nice_?"

"Apart from _that_." Shinji continued before his courage could fail him. "You've been a lot nicer to me lately. Not just uh… you know… sleeping in my room… but you haven't really yelled at me for a couple of weeks and you've been kinder to me since you had that… incident... at school."

"_Yes_?" Asuka asked, encouraging Shinji to continue.

"A-At first I thought I was because maybe you hit your head or something, but then I thought…"

"So." Asuka interrupted. "You're not only saying that I _was_ horrible to you in the past, but that because I'm _nice_ to you now, I must have _brain_ _damage_ or something?"

"I… umm.. oh.." Shinji said as her words hit him. "No. Th-that's not what I meant… I was just saying that.."

"I'm glad Shinji." Asuka said softly. "I'm _so_ happy that you don't think that I'd only ever be nice to you because of an acquired brain injury!"

"O-Of course not!" Shinji stammered.

"That's very comforting." The German girl replied dryly.

"Um… yeah." Shinji continued floundering slightly. "It's not that you weren't nice to me before that, it's just that you're different from before I guess."

Asuka sighed. "You're wrong, of course, baka-Shinji. I _wasn't_ mean to you before then." She said gently.

"Yeah, I know.. " The boy began, defeated.

"I was a complete self-centred bitch!"

"Huh?" Shinji was completely shocked by her words.

Asuka now took both of Shinji's hands in hers and stood close to him. "This isn't easy for me Shinji, even after all… all I've been through." Shinji saw in shock that her eyes glistened with moisture. "I-I was _awful_ to you before… before I _changed_. I treated you as a doormat and tormented you just to boost my own crappy ego."

"That's not true Asuka!"

"You know that it is, you're just doing what you always do. Keeping the peace. Trying to please everyone, even _me_!" The redhead sniffed and stepped closer to the boy. "Well, I think that it's about time that you stopped, Shinji Ikari!"

"But…"

"I don't expect you to understand," Asuka interrupted. "But I've seen the death of everything that I ever cared about, the destruction of my entire world, just because I was too proud to do anything about it. Because I've been too proud to reach out to the one human being on this Godforsaken rock that showed me kindness, not because I was a pilot, not because I was smart, not even because he was too dense to know any better. The one person who kept me sane when I had nothing else to live for. I'm damned if I'm gonna let him down again!"

Shinji looked strangely crestfallen. "Mr Kaji?"

Despite the moisture beginning to spill from her eyes, Asuka face-palmed and let out an exaggerated groan of frustration. "No, _not_ Kaji!" She said in an exasperated voice. "_You_, you idiot!"

"Buh…wha?" The brown haired boy said. "M-Me?"

"Yes, you, baka!"

"B-But… why?"

Asuka held Shinji's hand tightly. Her face, much to his surprise, was blushing beet red.

"Because, hard as you find it to believe, I like you, Shinji Ikari!"

"Like…?"

"Yeah, you know… Like?" She replied.

"You? _Like_ me?"

"Yeah… Or do you think that I kiss and sneak into the bedrooms of just _anyone_?" Asuka said with a dangerously raised eyebrow and a strange sense of déjà vu.

"Oh…"

"That's right." The redhead said, before continuing more nervously. "So… how do you feel about that?"

A moments awkward silence seemed to envelope the entire zoo compound.

"I-I like you too, Asuka!" Shinji said in a nervous rush.

She breathed a massive sigh of relief as what she felt must be an enormous foolish grin spread across her face. "_Hallelujah_! I thought that we'd never get there!"

Shinji smiled back at her, a giddy thrill of elation making it feel like all of the hair on the back of his neck was standing on end. He didn't resist as Asuka pulled him forward into a tight embrace. He was aware of the smell of her shampoo and the soft crinkling sounds of her starchy school uniform and the warmth of _her_ beneath it, as their bodies pressed together.

After all too short a time he felt her pull away from their embrace slightly and he became aware of her face close to his own. Her warm breath tickling his skin. Gently she leaned forward and kissed him, their lips touching for a few short exhilarating seconds before she pulled back again and stared at him from mere centimetres away.

"There, was _that_ better than the first time?" Asuka asked him gently.

"Yeah…"

"Good." She said with a blush and a nervous smile. "I bet you didn't think when you woke up this morning that the most beautiful and popular girl in all of Tokyo-3 would be putty in your clammy hands, did you?"

"I-I guess not."

"You see _now_ that the Great Asuka Langley Soryu can be nice!"

"Yeah. You think that maybe it might snow tomorrow?" Shinji asked playfully.

"Settle down, _Shinji-kun_!" Asuka admonished with a grin. "Try not to spoil this tender moment by being an ass."

"Sorry, Asuka."

"Hmph." Asuka replied, sticking her nose faux-haughtily in the air. "_This_ time I'll take that, seeing as you _do_ need to apologise for making fun of my kindness to you!"

Shinji smiled at her superior pose and tone, feeling for the first time, safe in Asuka's company. "Asuka." He asked.

"Yeah?"

"C-Could we maybe… you know… kiss again?" The boy stammered, his cheeks bright at his own boldness.

Shinji gulped audibly as Asuka's smile grew positively predatory. "Ooooh! Aren't we the brave little Shinji-kun now?" She said, the thrill of the moment making her almost giddy. "Come on then Shinji, take me in your scrawny arms!"

"Huh?"

Asuka wrapped her own arms back around the Third Child. "Pucker up!" She said closing the gap between their faces.

This time they kissed for a little longer, both of them taking in the scent and warmth of the other. For a few short seconds Asuka Langley Soryu forgot all of the horrors of Third Impact and the weight of her past and just lost herself in a moment of happiness that she had not experienced in her whole life.

Their lips separated and Asuka giggled at the distant look on Shinji's face. "Not bad, _Third_." She whispered, causing his dark blue eyes to focus on her sapphire blues. "A bit more practice and I think that we could make a habit of this!"

His own face lit up with a lopsided grin. "I-I think that would be nice, Asuka." He said in a whisper.

"I hope that it will be a lot more than '_nice'_, Shinji-kun!" Asuka said leaning in closer to him again.

"Yeah… "

"Oh. My. _GOD_!"

They both jumped apart as if they had been shocked at the ear splitting squeal that accompanied that exclamation. The two pilots turned in unison to see the figure of Hikari, followed closely by Touji and Kensuke, making a beeline for their current location.

"Ah, crap." Asuka muttered, grabbing hold of Shinji's hand in hers and giving it a squeeze. "The cavalry arrives!"

"I knew! I _knew_ it!" Hikari kept repeating excitedly. "Didn't I say that I knew it?" She said over her shoulder to a less ecstatic looking pair of boys. "I just knew it!" The pig-tailed girl said with a nod to herself.

"Hi Hikari," Asuka said, trying to act cool. "Hi stooges."

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!" Hikari repeated as she came running up and crash tackled Asuka in a bear hug. The red head grunted as most of the air was forced out of her lungs at the impact.

"Geez, settle down Hikari!" Asuka said as she got her breath back.

Sadly for the redhead Hikari was in no mood to calm down. Quickly and expertly she pulled the redhead away from the boys. "So Tell me _everything_, Asuka! What did he say? What did you say? Did he give you his love confession?"

"I…" Asuka tried to answer.

"And don't try that whole "_There's nothing in it_." Line either!" Hikari interrupted before the German girl could get more than a syllable out. "I saw it _all_! You and Shinji were _kissing_! In school uniform too, that's so _scandalous_!"

"Hikari…" Asuka attempted to speak again, growing impatient with her friend's prattling.

"But it's so _cute_! And Shinji's such a catch too, I mean he's the only male Eva pilot, and he's really sweet and considerate…"

"Hikari."

"But the two of you live in the same apartment, that could be considered a little risqué by some… not _me_ of course, I know you better than that, but still…"

"_Hikari_!" Asuka almost shouted in exasperation, finally getting the other girl's attention.

"Yes Asuka?"

"Will you stop babbling for one second and listen to me!"

"Sure Asuka, of course!" Hikari answered, finally focusing her attention on her friend.

"Good!" The redhead with barely contained relief. "_Fine_, I will admit that I kissed Shinji, and… h-he kissed me."

"Ooh, that's _so_ romantic!" Hikari began, before falling silent again as Asuka held up her hand.

"_And_… We've admitted that we like each other… but that's _it_! So don't go turning this into something out of those sappy romance novels that you read, okay?"

"But…" Hikari started. "Okay Asuka, but you have to give me _something_ here! I mean you and Shinji… How did this happen?"

"If I told you, you would never believe me!" Asuka said with a smile.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Just trust me on this Hikari." Asuka said. "Now let's go and save Shinji from the clutches of those to two nerf-herders!"

"Two what-whats?"

"Never mind!" Asuka said waving her hand with a laugh as she walked over to where Shinji was vainly trying to defend himself from the avalanche of disapprobation being directed at him by the other two boys.

"…with the demon?" Touji was saying in full rant against the 'betrayal' of male kind that Shinji had committed by becoming close to Asuka. "You know that she'll just treat you like dirt and scrape you off her shoe as soon as she gets tired of you!"

"Ahem."

Touji and Kensuke spun around to face the two irate girls, leaving Shinji looking downcast behind them. Both boys quailed slightly beneath the combined gazes of Asuka and Hikari, before Touji stood forward again and faced the German teen with defiance in his eyes. He swallowed loudly, but said nothing.

"What's the matter, Suzuhara?" Asuka said facing him with her hands on her hips. "Scared that now that Shinji's taken that you'll lose your boyfriend Aida as well?"

"You think you're so much better than us, demon girl!" Touji answered angrily. "Well… Shinji's too good a person to be treated like crap by you! You'll just use him like you always do and then toss him aside like so much garbage"

"Touji…" Hikari began sternly.

"What would you know, bone head?" Asuka interrupted, incensed at the track suited boy's accusations. "You two, you sit in your safe little lives, _using_ Shinji just so that you can perv at Misato and feel like big men by hanging out with an Eva pilot, while we risk our lives for your worthless asses. _You_ haven't lived our lives, _you_ don't know a fucking thing about who I am and what I've been through! Yet somehow you think that you have the right to fucking _judge_ me?" The redhead snarled, causing Touji and Kensuke to unconsciously both take a step backwards. "You know what? I'm sick of your holier than thou attitude, Arschlöcher! Why don't you get the fuck out of my face and leave the grown ups to look after ourselves! "

"Asuka.." Hikari was horrified at how things were getting out of hand.

"Go to Hell, demon-girl!" Touji resorted to Asuka, enraged. "I don't need your permission to…"

"Stop it, _please_!" Shinji suddenly yelled out, causing both parties to fall silent. "Asuka… Touji and Kensuke are my friends. They're only worried about me. Th-They don't know you like I do! Please, can you try to get along with them? For me?"

All of the anger drained out of Asuka's being. She had never heard Shinji actually speak to her like this. She could see that this was important to him. Important enough to risk her anger and possibly endanger the relationship that had just begun to bloom between them. She couldn't help but feel a deep seated sense of respect for him in doing that, even though she was more than a little miffed at the sense of having to give in that she felt in acquiescing to his request. Lilith may have accused her of being too proud, and she knew that the Angel had been reasonably accurate in her summation, but it was still hard for her to back away from a fight. Somewhat painfully she finally managed to swallow her pride.

"Sure, Shinji." She answered gently, facing the the wide eyed boy. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let them get to me like that."

"Thank you Asuka."

Hikari and the other two boys who were just staring in disbelief at Asuka's words.

"Touji, Kensuke." Shinji continued. "I-I like Asuka… Please don't try to ruin this for me! I've never had anything like this happen to me…_ever_! If you could put up with this, for our friendship's sake, it would mean a _lot_ to me…"

"O-Okay." Both boys answered, moved by the young pilot's plea.

"Thank you!" Shinji said with a smile.

"Well said Shinji!" Hikari said beaming.

Suzuhara stepped forward, towards the German girl. "Truce." He said simply, holding out his hand.

Asuka looked at the proffered hand suspiciously for a second, like it was faintly offensive smelling, before reaching out and taking it in her own and shaking it. "Truce."

"Kensuke." Hikari said, startling the shorter boy who had been hanging back for most of the altercation. He stepped forward and also shook Asuka's hand, noting that the redhead seemed to smile as she squeezed his hand in a surprisingly strong grip that left his own throbbing for nearly twenty minutes afterwards.

"Truce."

"Thank you." Shinji said. An awkward silence fell over the group.

"Well…" Asuka spoke eventually. "What do we do now?"

Almost as if in answer to her question the sound of the other students from the school and the voice of the guide could suddenly be heard surprisingly close by.

"Damn it!" Kensuke said. "They've caught up with us!"

"Maybe we can join up with them again and the guide won't notice?" Hikari said uncertainly.

"Are you _nuts_?" Asuka said. "There's no way on Earth that I'm spending the rest of the day following Captain Comb-over around this place! Let's get out of here!"

The other children all agreed with her, so Hikari gave in and they all quickly left the enclosure and its disinterested zebras and headed deeper into the zoo complex.

The other three teens didn't fail to notice that Shinji and Asuka didn't let go of each others hands the whole time.

* * *

><p>Eventually, of course, the five teenagers did end up being overtaken by the rest of their classmates. Even Asuka admitted that it was inevitable that they would have to rejoin at some stage. That didn't stop her grumbling about it though. Completely unnoticed they all slipped back amongst the chattering throng of students just as they milled around a shiny modern building that stood out amongst the more dilapidated exhibits around it.<p>

Above the entrance to the building was a sign that proclaimed the large structure as "Tokyo 03 Municipal Zoological Gardens Palingenozoology Department" What really piqued the children's interest was the small fig leaf symbol in the corner of the sign. This was confirmed by their guide who began extolling the greatness of NERV that was funding this important research into restoring the damage inflicted in the planet's ecosystem since Second Impact.

Inside the building they were shown several laboratories where behind glass white suited scientists hunched over test tubes and microscopes. They were told of the pioneering work done here by the world's top scientists, with the generous financial and technical help of NERV, to use recent advances in bio-engineering technology to resurrect some of the world's lost species of animals.

Next the children were shown some of the successes of the program to date. Behind yet more glass screens were pens containing the young of several varieties of animal that had not survived the disastrous years following Second Impact. Hikari was particularly taken with the ring tailed lemurs that frolicked and played amongst themselves. While Kensuke was strangely drawn to the three toed sloth cub that stared back out at him from its pen.

Down the next corridor was a section where examples animals that had been extinct for longer periods that had been successfully brought back were kept.

Kensuke was wrapped up in filming the Thylacine, even though the animal in question was doing nothing more than scratching itself and yawning hugely in its simulated habitat. While Shinji was far too interested for Touji's understanding in some boring pigeon from America that had been extinct in the wild since the early twentieth century.

Seeing Hikari apparently listening keenly to their guide, Touji looked around for something more interesting than a bunch of dead animals that somehow weren't dead anymore. He saw with some surprise that Asuka was on her own, away from the other children, staring fixedly in front of one of the pens further along the walkway. He was going to leave her well enough alone, but something about the way she was standing held his attention.

The track suited boy shook his head. Even though he would respect their newly declared truce, he still was uncomfortable with the red haired girl being so close with his friend. He still felt the need to set some ground rules to ensure that she wouldn't abuse the good faith in which he had called it.

"Yo, Red!" He called out as he approached the lone girl.

To his annoyance she didn't even seem to hear him, she appeared completely wrapped up in looking at the small grey dog like creatures that were running around in the pen in front of her. A small plaque next to the enclosure read.

'_**Ezo Okami:** Canis Lupus Hattai, {Also known as Ezo Wolf or Hokkaido Wolf}. Date of extinction: Late 19th Century, Hokkaido, Japan.'_

"Wolf?" Touji said. "I didn't think that there were any wolves in Japan!"

"There weren't." Asuka replied in a harsh voice. "Not for over a hundred years… "

Touji looked at the redhead with surprise. Her voice sounded so… weird to him. Like she was trying not to cry or something unthinkable like that. He looked at her. "You okay, Red?"

She turned to face him, he was shocked to see tears threatening to spill from her bright blue eyes. "I _hate_ this place!" She said with unexpected vehemence. "This is all wrong! How can they be so arrogant? So fucking _stupid_? What's dead should _stay_ dead!"

"Calm down…" Touji said feeling lost. This was the last thing he ever expected to see from the proud and fiery German. "It's just a bunch of boring animals. What do you care if some stupid dead pigeon or wolf is cooked up in some geek's test-tube?"

Asuka turned back around and pointed at the young wolf cubs that were gamboling around their enclosure. The tip of her finger turned white where it pressed on the glass and it seemed to Touji that she was pointing at one young cub in particular. This one, though the largest of the young creatures, seemed to have a significantly shorter tail than its litter mates.

"This is just _wrong_." Asuka said more quietly. Touji was shocked by the apparent pain in her voice.

The tall boy swallowed uncomfortably. This was getting weird and awkward. He was starting to feel sorry for the clearly upset girl. A part of him rebelled against this unfamiliar feeling. Not to mention the reason that he was actually here to make sure that Asuka understood the ground rules of their new truce. Touji cleared his throat to speak.

"So, Red…" He began. There was still just too much history between him and the Pilot of Unit 02 for him to be able to use her name comfortably.

"What do you _want_, stooge?" Asuka answered him harshly. She wasn't feeling in the mood for his clumsy grandstanding. More than anything she wanted to go and find Shinji again. Have him hold her and ease the wave of anxiety that had overcome her at seeing her old foes from life after Impact. It was too much of a coincidence. Asuka was annoyed with herself for letting the tall boy see her moment of weakness, but she had been too struck by seeing the young wolf cubs in that were in the enclosure. She couldn't believe that not only were the creatures that had haunted her nightmares since her return right there in front of her. What _really_ shook her was the fact that it appeared that NERV itself was responsible for their very existence!

Oblivious to this Touji continued. "Yeah… Well…" He was naturally uncomfortable around a girl in obvious distress. Even one who had been his avowed enemy until under an hour ago. "I…I just wanna make sure that you and Shinji are gonna be… You know… You're not gonna treat him like garbage anymore! 'Cos if I see you so much as make the poor kid _look_ sad, then we are done! Okay?"

"Fine! I already agreed to all of that, stooge! What else do you want?"

"Huh?" Was his only reply. He was expecting more fight from the notoriously fiery girl. "I just don't want him hurt is all!"

"_Good_, neither do I!" Asuka replied testily. "If it would make you happy, you can punch _me_ in the face if I hurt him!"

"I don't hit girls."

"No, of course not. You only hit poor traumatised kids that you've never met before!" Asuka answered him pointedly.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Touji complained. "I only hit Shinji that time 'cos I was angry that my sister got hurt in the battle! Anyway, Shinji and me settled it honourably, like men."

To Touji's surprise the redheaded girl smiled at him, before wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her blouse. "Look, Touji." She said earnestly. "I don't really care if you believe me or not. I care about Shinji. Sure, he's a hopeless case, but I want him to be happy more than anything else right now!"

"Y-You do?"

"Of course I do! What kind of selfish bitch do you think that I am?" Asuka asked. "Hmm…maybe don't answer that!" She said with a wry smile.

"Okay then…" The boy said, feeling relieved that it was so easy. "Th-Thanks… I guess."

Asuka's eyes softened. "You've been a good friend to him Touji. You know that he has suffered a lot because of the Evas."

"Yeah, I know."

"So it's meant lot to Shinji to have you looking out for him." Strangely, to Touji, she looked sadly at him. "Just promise _me_ one thing. Don't go doing anything stupid, stooge. It would hurt him more than you know if you something bad happened to you."

"What do you mean?"

Asuka looked nervously around her before saying more softly. "No matter what they offer you, nothing is worth getting hurt or killed for… What would happen to your sister then?" She asked.

The tall boy just looked at her in confusion. "My sister? What has this got to do with her?"

"If a blonde scientist comes to school and offers you a deal that seems too good to be true… It probably is." She broke off as she saw the other three students heading towards them. "Just _trust_ me on this…" She whispered to him before turning to face the others as they approached.

"Shinji-kun! Where have you _been_ all this time?" Asuka called out loudly, making a bee-line towards Shinji and fussing over him. Touji watched with mixed emotions as the young pilot blushed at the attention being showered on him by the brash redhead.

"What were you two talking about, Touji?" The jock turned from the scene in front of him to see the pretty face of the Class Representative looking up at him quizzically. "I hope that you weren't being mean to Asuka! You two _did_ promise to be nice to each other!"

"Uh.. we were just talking is all…" Touji replied to the pig-tailed girl. Not really that sure of what had actually just passed between himself and the girl who had been his sworn enemy so recently.

"Really?" Hikari seemed incredulous.

"Yeah." Touji said. "You know," He continued, nodding towards the two pilots who were now openly holding hands as they walked amongst the exhibits. "I-I think that they're gonna be okay…"

"That's great Touji!" Hikari was ecstatic at his words. "I _told you_ that Asuka was a good person! I think that she and Shinji will be _so_ good together!"

The track suited boy was silent at this. He was still too troubled by the redhead's warnings to think straight.

Eventually the silence between them was broken by the guide telling all of them to move out through the main exit through to the car park. In ones and twos the students trickled out of the door into the sunshine outside. Kensuke, video camera still in hand, rejoined them and the five teenagers also headed for the exit.

Asuka and Shinji were still holding hands as they walked across the car park to the waiting bus. Quickly the two pilots once again split off from the rest of their friends and made their way off to the far side of the lot so that they could have some time together away from the others.

"Remember what I said, stooge! _Don't_ do it!" Asuka called back over her shoulder as they walked off.

"What did she mean by that?" Hikari said to him in confusion.

"Yeah, what's going on between you two?" Kensuke asked his friend.

"I really don't know." Touji answered. Though a strange sense of foreboding bothered him.

* * *

><p>High up in Geo-stationary orbit above the North American continent a NERV satellite picked up a massive energy spike in the Nevada desert far below. Within seconds a bright light, so powerful that it temporarily overloaded the sensitive imaging sensors contained in the satellite's camera array, flared from the planet's surface and left the instruments temporarily blinded to the disaster below.<p>

When the cameras were finally recalibrated and able to once again view the stricken area, all that was visible to the viewers was an enormous and angry red glow spreading across the desert with a bright core of roiling yellow death at its centre.

In the his office at the heart of the pyramid within the Geofront, Gendo Ikari closed down the video feed from the satellite.

There were only three inhabitants of this cavernous space. The Supreme Commander of NERV sat at his desk, which was bare except for the small video screen which was slowly lowering into the highly polished wooden surface. To the left side of the same desk sat the Sub Commander. The old professor's hand rubbed his chin slowly as he pondered the ramifications of what he had just seen.

Sitting virtually unregarded at the other side of the desk, Rei Ayanami watched the subtle interplay between the two older men without comment.

"It would seem that the Third Branch were keen to test the new S2 engine ahead of schedule." Gendo Ikari remarked calmly to his deputy.

"Foolishness." Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki remarked sadly. "1297 lives lost in the name of pride. For what gain?"

"Had they succeeded, Professor, our scenario would have been gravely compromised."

"Now they have been caught and had their fingers burnt, suddenly they have the gall to _insist_ that we take Unit 03 off their hands!"

"Yes. It seems that their appetite for playing God has been sated. Unit 03 and its core profile are being airlifted to Matsushiro base as we speak."

"Already?" The old man asked incredulously. "We don't have the resources to operate a fourth Evangelion!"

"The UN has already made the necessary adjustments to our budget."

"So," Fuyutsuki said after a long pause. "The scrolls would appear to indicate that the Apostate is going to emerge soon. Now, it seems, it's form is being forced upon us by our so called friends."

Before Gendo could answer his former Sensei the grey phone on his desk shrilled into life. Fuyutsuki knew that this phone in particular was the line that linked the specially picked Section 2 operatives that watched the three Pilots directly to the Commander. No matter what other issues were occupying Gendo Ikari, he would always interrupt them for the rare occasions that this particular phone rang.

"Yes." Gendo said into the phone. The commander listened for twenty seconds to the muted voice on the other end of the line. "Very well." He continued. "No. Merely observe as before." He hung up the phone.

"Trouble?" Fuyutsuki asked after a short silence.

"Perhaps." The Commander replied finally. "It would appear that my son and the Second Child have become close."

"Shinji and Kyoko's girl?" The old professor said in surprise. "That shouldn't be possible. Her profile suggests deep seated narcissism and an inability to form close relationships."

"Indeed, and yet Section 2 confirm an apparent growth in the bond between the two pilots."

"You don't seem surprised." The old man queried.

"Hmm." Gendo. "Her aberrant behaviour has increased recently. This latest development is in keeping with that trend."

"Do you think that she could endanger the scenario? She's just a fourteen year old girl. The scrolls after all make little mention of the Second's role."

"No." Gendo said with an air of finality. "She is unimportant in the Grand Scheme. She will soon tire of the Third and the scenario will remain unaltered."

"Can you be sure?"

The Commander tented his hands in front of his face to hide his smirk. "Professor, you always were the voice of reason and caution. I believe recent developments may indeed have provided a solution to both issues."

Rei looked on as the Sub Commander looked quizzically at his superior. "You mean?" He said with what Rei could only feel was a certain amount of horror in his voice.

"Yes." Gendo answered before picking up a different phone. He waited a few seconds before speaking. "Assemble all Class One personnel in Central Dogma in one hour."

Gendo stood up from his desk and walked toward the nondescript door in the shadows of the office that led to his private rooms. "Rei." He said curtly. The blue haired girl wordlessly stood and followed him through the door.

Fuyutsuki himself stood up more slowly, his old bones protesting at the movement. He hoped, as he did more and more often in recent times, that the Scenario would go according to the plan that he, Yui and Gendo had first begun orchestrating back in 2003. '_Otherwise_,' he mused to himself, '_I'm sure that there will be plenty of room in Hell for all of us for what we've done_.'

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter 10<strong>

A/N: I've kinda been having my own personal angst-fest about this chapter. It contains elements that are essential for future plot development, and yet actually covers quite a short amount of time with an awful lot of creaky dialogue and exposition! I am probably more nervous about putting this one out than anything I've written in the past!

But anyhoo... enough of my whining!

I hope that you enjoyed. I plan to have Chapter 11 out in a much shorter time-frame, so see you all then!

Cheers!

Donderkind


	11. The Unforgiving Minute

_Hi again! Donderkind here again!_

_Welcome to Chapter 11 of Unbroken.  
><em>

_Massive thanks to **DarknessIncumbent** for much encouragement, inspiration, and especially for Beta-reading this chapter. A task, I'm sure, that would have broken many a lesser individual! Thank you, my friend. May your Yebisu never run dry!  
><em>

**Unbroken**

**Chapter 11**

**The Unforgiving Minute**

"_La journée sera rude_." **Robert-François Damiens, **_28 March 1757_.

* * *

><p>Misato looked at her long-time friend in surprise. "That's <em>it<em>? _That_ was her only condition?"

Ritsuko Akagi drew heavily on her cigarette. "Uh huh."

"And the Commander consented?"

"When I put it to him he didn't even consider it for more than a second. He just said '_Agreed_'. You know, in that way he does, and that was it."

"I don't get it."

"Mmm," Ritsuko replied. "I've got to admit that it was the last thing I expected."

The purple haired Major rubbed her face tiredly before reaching out and lifting the mug of murky-looking coffee to her lips and sipping loudly. She grimaced at the flavour before taking another sip and placing the mug back on Ritsuko's desk. "She has been acting weird lately, for _her_ anyway. But this was one thing I never would have suspected. I didn't even think that she liked the boy!"

"Do you suppose that she's becoming unstable, or should I say _more_ unstable?" The blonde Doctor said with a thin smile.

Misato frowned at her friend. "What's _with_ you Rits? She's a teenage kid with some pretty serious issues. I think that we can _both_ remember what that was like. Though as I also remember, no one was making _us_ pilot giant unstable robots against unholy messengers of Global destruction! Why not cut her some slack? Doesn't this at least show that she's capable of some compassion?"

"Little Miss Perfect? Compassionate?" Ritsuko said bitterly. "Just because she does one apparently nice thing, don't go trying to tell me that she's turned into Mother Teresa! That girl is only capable of looking after her own needs. This proves nothing. I'm sure that she's got some ulterior motive for this."

"You might be my friend, Ritsuko, but that doesn't mean I don't think that you've become bitter and angry lately." Misato said. "I don't like you talking about one of my kids that way."

"Sorry, _Momma Bear_." Ritsuko replied sarcastically.

"Hmph."

"So how did she take the news anyway?" Misato asked after a short silence.

"Not how I expected, actually." Ritsuko said. "I swear that when I told her she went genuinely pale. I thought for a second there that she was actually going to puke! You'd think that I'd told her that we were sending her to her death or something. I'd have thought that someone like _her_ would have welcomed the chance to prove herself with this, especially after the disaster over in America. Instead I thought that she was actually going to refuse until the I told her that if she didn't do it then Shinji would. _That_ seemed to really take the wind out of her sails! She just sat there looking pale and didn't speak or ask a single question for over ten minutes. The only thing that she did say eventually was to ask for the transfer of that girl the Infirmary."

"I don't get it, and it gives me a bad feeling." Misato said with a shiver. "It also seems weird to me that the Commander was _so_ determined to have her do it."

"Well," Ritsuko said. "The Marduk Institute have yet to find the Fourth Child, so it makes sense to have her on board for this mission. If something does go wrong, then we don't lose one of our more valuable assets like Shinji or _Rei_." The blonde doctor spat out the last word.

The Major scowled and put down her mug with a thump. "Don't take this the wrong way Ritsuko, but _fuck you_!" Misato swore forcefully. "I'll see you at 0800 in Matsushiro, _with_ Asuka!"

Dr Akagi watched as her friend stormed out of the cramped office with a bitter smile. "You're just pissed off because deep down you know that I'm right." She said to the empty room. Though she herself was also puzzled as to why Gendo had been so adamant that the Second Child perform this activation. She knew enough to realise that the Fourth was ready to be brought on line in such a case.

She lit yet another cigarette and returned to the data for configuring Unit 03's core for the Second Child.

* * *

><p>Shinji Ikari couldn't sleep. The confusion and concern that swirled in his mind did not permit him the release of slumber.<p>

It had all started when Misato and Asuka had come back from NERV about two hours earlier, long after the dinner that he had prepared for the three of them had gone cold and the plates had been carefully shrink-wrapped and placed in the fridge.

xxxxx

Finally, after ten pm, the two women of the Katsuragi residence had come through the front door. Misato tiredly announced their arrival with the customary "Tadaima!"

Before Shinji could respond, Asuka had raced through the apartment and into her bedroom, shutting the door forcefully behind her. Shinji had looked at Misato for some kind of explanation. The Major had just shrugged and headed for the fridge to collect a beer.

With a sigh Shinji had taken their meals out of the other fridge, but Misato just shook her head.

"Sorry, Kiddo," She said. "We kinda ate at the NERV cafeteria… Well, I ate. Asuka didn't seem very hungry for some reason."

"What's wrong, Misato? Why is she so upset?" He asked her forlornly.

Misato had rubbed her hand tiredly over her face. "I… I really don't know. Maybe it's the bad news from over in Third Branch in America. She did live there for a couple of years before moving to Germany once the construction of Unit 02 was started, so she was bound to have known a couple of the people there."

"Oh." Said Shinji, feeling somehow ashamed of not knowing that. "Th-That's terrible."

"Yeah…" Misato said pensively. Shinji began to clear the uneaten dinner away again. "Hey," Misato said more brightly. "Could you pack those in a couple of containers to go? Asuka and I are going to be in Matsushiro tomorrow for the activation test of Unit 03, and the cafeteria over there is a real death trap!"

"Sure." Shinji replied quickly spooning the meals into two plastic containers. "Will you be gone all day?" He asked a little forlornly.

"Yeah, and probably overnight as well. I've asked Kaji to stay over. Is that okay?"

"Yeah… that's okay. So, why is Asuka going with you?"

"Silly!" Misato said more brightly. "We can't do an activation test without a pilot!"

"Oh… yeah, I guess not."

"Though I must say that Asuka doesn't seem too thrilled at the prospect." Misato said before reverting to a more teasing tone. "Maybe it's the thought of being away from her lover-boy for a whole night!"

"Wha..?" Shinji said with a blush.

"Come on, I know you two have been getting closer lately!" Misato said teasingly. "Who'd have thought that my quiet little Shinji would win the heart of a fiery European maiden!"

"Misato, not so loud, she might hear you!" Shinji said in a forced whisper. "I-It's not like that! We… We just decided that we like to… ummm… be with each other… I think." His uncertainty showing through plainly in his voice.

The Major relented a little. With the unusual and tragic events that had come to light in the last few days, she felt that she should cut the boy a little slack. "That's okay, Shinji-kun," she said warmly, "All that I ask is that you don't get her pregnant is all!" She wasn't able to resist one last teasing shot.

"_Misato_!" Shinji hissed in horror, his face a bright red beacon in the small kitchen.

xxxxx

Shinji still squirmed when he remembered the older woman's raucous laughter at her own tasteless joke. Asuka moaned and held him closer in the bed, her pretty sleeping face set with a deep frown.

He had been hugely relieved that she had not seemed to be angry with him, that evening at least. When he had finally plucked up the courage to knock on her door she had slid it open almost immediately. Shinji had been shocked at the pale and drawn appearance of the Second Child that had stood before him at the doorway, dressed in her long pink sleeping t-shirt. She had pulled him into her bedroom and down onto the bed, where she had simply clung to him like a limpet.

Shinji just lay there, uncomfortable, seeing as he was still dressed in his school uniform. After what felt like an age he could feel her breathing become more relaxed and regular. As stealthily as he could he disentangled himself from her arms and sneaked back out to his own room, the one that they usually shared, and had changed into his own sleeping attire. Just as quietly he had crept back to where Asuka lay and gently climbed back into the bed, the girl's sleep apparently undisturbed by his brief absence.

He was so confused. Nothing he could imagine could have had this effect on the bright, invincible Asuka that he thought he knew.

As he looked down at her Asuka's eyes opened. Even in the dim light of the bedroom the blueness of them took his breath away. He was also suddenly very aware of how close the redheaded girl's face was to his own.

"You going to just lie there _staring_ at me all night, Shinji?" She whispered.

"Um…. No." He replied nervously.

"Good." She said with a yawn.

"Asuka?" He asked after several minutes silence.

"Yes?"

"A-Are you okay?"

The girl propped herself up on one elbow and looked at him. "Yeah," she replied sarcastically, "_Wonderful_. What's not to be okay about?"

"You seem… different… worried or something." Shinji said with a hint of fear in his voice. He still wasn't comfortable talking so directly to the red haired girl.

Asuka had dropped her head, her loose red hair briefly obscuring her pretty face. When she had lifted it again, Shinji was shocked to see that her eyes brimming with tears.

"I'm _scared,_ Shinji." She said simply.

"Scared?" Shinji repeated in confusion. "You're not scared of anything_,_ Asuka. You're the bravest person that I know."

Asuka just let herself give a small, sad smile at the boy. He looked so earnest in the dim light, so caring, so _alive_. She found it hard to believe he was the same broken boy that she had worked so hard to keep alive back at the old farmhouse in the wilderness. The boy who's happiness had somehow become one of her main reasons for living.

"I'm not brave, Shinji-kun, I'm _terrified_! Terrified of failing. B-Be strong for me, baka-Shinji..." she said softly, "I don't know how I'm gonna do this."

"I-I don't understand, Asuka." Shinji replied, his face a mask of confusion.

Instead of replying, Asuka leaned forward and kissed the boy on the lips, passionately, desperately. Like she was trying to draw strength from his very soul. Clumsily, Shinji returned the kiss, deeply confused and also worried at the same time by the wetness he could feel on the German girl's cheeks.

Finally Asuka broke off the kiss.

"Be strong for me…" She murmured as she snuggled against his chest. He held the girl awkwardly until she finally settled in his arms and her breathing grew more regular and less hitched and ragged. Eventually the boy also found some peace in sleep, even if it was sleep filled with dreams of dark forebodings.

The night inched its way forward to an unwanted dawn.

* * *

><p>Rei Ayanami was worried, and the unfamiliar sensation was making her feel sick to her stomach.<p>

A nameless concern ate at her insides. The blue haired girl was totally unused to such strong feelings and emotions. Initially she was concerned that she was experiencing some form of food poisoning. But the symptoms didn't fit with those that her research told her she should expect from such a condition. Eventually she came to the conclusion that the physical symptoms she was observing in herself were in response to the unfamiliar conflicting worries and urges that were filling her head that morning.

The blue haired girl finally lifted her head from her desk and watched as the other students prepared themselves for the school day.

The members of class 2-A had been dwindling gradually to a core of about a dozen or so students, essentially composed of those who's parents had not as yet packed up and left Tokyo-3 for the safer areas of Japan. This day, though, that number was even smaller. Rei looked around curiously to see who was missing.

The Second Child, of course, was at that moment likely in transit to the test facility at Matsushiro. The activation of Unit 03 was due to take place at approximately 1430 hours that afternoon. So her absence was neither unusual, nor particularly bothersome to Rei.

Class Representative Horaki was present and bustling around the classroom, marshalling the remaining pupils and making sure that there was nothing to reflect badly on the students when the bell rang and the old sensei appeared.

Pilot Ikari was there. The boy sat at his desk looking tired and worried. She knew of his recent attachment to the Second Child. She supposed that she should disapprove of such a coupling. Certainly the Commander appeared to find the idea of his estranged son bonding with the German teen particularly abhorrent. As for Rei herself, she only felt a small pang of something that she felt unable to quantify as yet as a specific emotion. The First Child had been conditioned all of her short life to eschew personal desires and attachments. She did not desire to take the Second's place in Pilot Ikari's affections, yet somewhere deep in her psyche a primordial need for something… _other_… lay no longer quite so dormant.

Indeed, these feelings both towards the Third Child as well as her recent inexplicable urges to interact with Pilot Soryu had been building within her gradually for the last several weeks or more. She did wonder, with the still unfamiliar pang of guilt, if these were the result of her no longer taking her prescribed medications that Dr Akagi was so adamant that she use on a daily basis.

Rei could not identify exactly when or where the onset of the urge that had seen her flush over a month's supply of the medications down her apartment toilet had come upon her. The desire to be rid of them had been so strong that the girl simply had not the will to refuse it.

It had come to her as she sat alone in her apartment one evening after walking home from NERV following another routine round of Synch tests. Rei had sat on the side of her bed in the dingy apartment, simply awaiting the regular hour when she would rise, take one of the capsules from the zip-lock bag on the counter, and then swallow it down with a small glass of rusty tasting water.

That evening, the hour had long passed for her to take that nightly capsule. Yet Rei still sat on the side of the iron framed bed. She had stared at the bag of red and white pills on the counter top. Her desire to obey the instructions of Doctor Akagi was still strong. She had never disobeyed such an order in the entirety of her short lifespan. It was the will of Doctor Akagi that she take them. That had been all there was to say about it.

That evening something was different.

That evening another will seemed to be imposing itself upon the blue haired girl. A voice, as familiar as her own, yet somehow alien to her psyche, made her feel that the capsules were somehow _wrong_. That if she continued to take them her purpose would never be fulfilled. '_Doctor Akagi has told me I would die if I cease to take my medication_.' She thought in response, trying her best to defy the reasoning of that voice. '_Doctor Akagi does not wish us well,_' her own voice answered her in her mind. '_Doctor Akagi hates us. Doctor Akagi desires the Commander for herself. In her eyes, we are an impediment to that desire'._

The voice was compelling yet she had felt a pang of guilt that she had found what it said so attractive. She had become accustomed to this voice, listening to its urgings as they had come upon her from time to time over the last few weeks. It was the same voice that had urged her to seek out the Second Child several times. It was the voice that had slowly seen her view of the Commander and his purpose for her shift in a way that she had yet to fully comprehend. It was _her_ voice. _Her_ will. Or so it seemed. Yet it what it urged her to do often ran counter to the way she had been conditioned to see herself and how she fit in to the world.

Finally, however, Rei had no longer been able to resist the call of obedience. She had risen from the bed. She had padded in bare feet across to the counter and filled a grimy glass with water from the tap. She took one of the capsules from the bag and looked at it in the dim light of the small kitchenette. It looked innocuous enough. A tiny red and white cure for the new and strange uncertainty inside of her. Rei took a small sip of water and placed the capsule in her mouth. The voice was silent. She swallowed. Still the voice was absent from her mind.

Feeling strangely empty inside she looked again at the zip-lock bag full of pills that Dr. Akagi had given her just days before. Now she saw that they all looked quite different to her than they had mere seconds ago. The red half was leeching into the white side. The pills were all turning a deep crimson hue. The colour of fresh blood. As she picked up the bag and looked at it the pills seemed shift and move within the plastic. The contents of each capsule began rapidly bursting before her eyes and from them seeped a viscous flow of red liquid, like small bloody eruptions that soon filled the bag with thick red fluid with the now empty shells of the capsules floating within it.

Rei's stomach heaved at the sight and, still holding the bag, she quickly ran to the bathroom of her apartment and emptied the contents of her stomach in to the toilet bowl.

As she hunched there, breathing heavily. She noted the small red and white capsule she had just swallowed now floating whole and undamaged in the water at the bottom of the bowl. She turned her head and looked at the zip-lock bag still clutched in her sweaty hand. All of the little red and white pills still sat innocently inside it, showing no sign of the horror that she had witnessed mere seconds earlier.

'_Now that you have seen what they are poisoning us with, are you still resolved to take them_?' The voice that was her own asked her in her mind. Rei looked at them and thought about trying to swallow another capsule. Immediately her stomach lurched again and she dropped the bag to the grimy, tiled floor as if it had burnt her.

Eventually she had picked it up again with distaste, opened up the zip lock seal with sweaty fingers, and emptied the contents into the toilet bowl. She pressed the flush and within seconds all of those hateful little red and white capsules that had held her in their thrall were gone.

The girl knew that what she had done would make Doctor Akagi and probably the Commander very angry with her. Nonetheless Rei felt a unfamiliar surge of guilt-tinged relief at being rid of those disgusting little red and white capsules.

Since that day nearly three weeks earlier Rei Ayanami had noticed many varied and subtle changes in the way that the world appeared to her. She no longer felt nauseous all of the time. Bright light, even sunlight, were not painful for her to be out in anymore. The most unfamiliar and yet strangely pleasurable thing was the new-found ability to experience unfettered emotional responses to the people and events around her.

Even here in school she let the feelings and emotions of her classmates around her wash over her. She found the unfiltered emotional output of her fellow teenagers very agreeable to observe. Certainly she had felt better than she had at any other time in her life in those last few weeks.

She looked around further and saw that Kensuke Aida was present also. The spectacled boy sat at his usual position at the back of the class. His laptop already open in front of him as he tapped idly at the keyboard. Trawling for information on the Evangelions or some other military trivia, Rei guessed.

However, she noted, the desk immediately to the left of Mr. Aida's, the one usually occupied by Suzuhara, was empty. Why would the tall student, who seemed to be one of pilot Ikari's constant companions at the school, not be in today?

It appeared that Rei was not the only one curious as to the track-suited boy's whereabouts.

After casting a critical eye over the students under her jurisdiction, Hikari Horaki walked quietly to the back of the room to where Kensuke Aida sat. Looking around strangely nervously, Rei felt, the pig tailed girl spoke quietly to him.

"Kensuke… Where's Tou… Suzuhara today?"

"Touji?" Kensuke replied more loudly. "Oh yeah, he won't be in today. His little sister is being transferred to the NERV hospital this morning, and he's gone to make sure she settles in okay."

"Really?" Hikari answered brightly. "That's great news!"

"Yeah. I've haven't heard Touji sound so happy in ages."

"It's so _nice_ that he cares for his little sister so much.." Hikari said. "He's so kind and _compassionate_!"

"Um… yeah.. I guess." Kensuke answered uncertainly.

"Yes… anyway. That's _good_ news..." Hikari replied suddenly blushing. "L-Let him know that I'm v-very happy for him!"

"Sure thing, Class Rep!"

Rei watched them standing awkwardly for a few more seconds as the Class Representative's face grew more pink under the spectacled boy's gaze. '_The Class Representative appears to be embarrassed._' Rei thought to herself curiously. Strangely Kensuke appeared to find this amusing and was chuckling to himself at her discomfort.

Happily, for Hikari, the bell sounded for the beginning of the school day. Immediately she was back in Class Representative mode.

"Come on everyone!" She yelled. "At your desks before Sensei arrives!"

As if summoned like some kind of geriatric djinn, the old man appeared at the front sliding door of the classroom and made his way to his desk.

"_Rise… Bow… Sit_!" Hikari barked. The students obeyed automatically.

And so, the latest lesson of Second Impact Studies was underway.

Rei sat staring out of the window, apparently disinterested in the world around her. In reality her insides were still in turmoil. She could not escape the certainty that somehow, somewhere, she was urgently needed. Though for what she still had no idea.

The school day continued its slow grind on to recess.

* * *

><p>Misato cursed as the truck that they were travelling in jolted over a pothole, causing her to spill some of her coffee on the front of her skirt.<p>

"Ah, crap! You'd think that they'd do something about these goddamned roads! Look at my skirt!"

"Yeah…" Asuka answered, without even glancing at the Major from her seat. "It's a modern tragedy."

"Hmph." Misato replied to the jibe, still trying to mop up the spill.

After a few moments she finished as best as she could and looked over at her young companion. So far on the long and occasionally bumpy ride towards Matsushiro she hadn't been able to coax more than a couple of syllables out of the girl. Beneath her red hair the German teen looked pale and sweaty. Here bright blue eyes stood out against her alabaster skin, though her face had a slightly sunken hollow look.

She looked to Misato like someone who was being haunted by some horror that she could not fully comprehend. Asuka's body language was completely defensive, like she was trying to make herself as small as possible in the spacious seating in the truck's cab.

"You doing okay, kiddo?" Misato asked with forced cheerfulness masking her concern.

"Mmm…"

"What's eating you, Asuka?" The Major said in a kindly tone. "Ever since you were told about this activation you've been acting like someone ran over your puppy. What's up?"

"You… you wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

Asuka rolled her eyes at Misato and let out a heavy sigh.

"You know something Misato?" The redhead began. "I've realised that up to now… I've been just playing around in the shallow end… You know, going along pretty much as I always have, I guess…"

Misato looked puzzled. "You have?"

"Yeah." Asuka answered her. "And now… to use a well worn cliché, I realise that... this shit is gonna get real, and I have no idea what the fuck I'm gonna do about it!"

"You sure do swear a lot these days…" Misato observed, before gathering her thoughts more coherently. "What's going to '_get real',_ Asuka? Is it about Shinji? I know that you two are a lot closer these days. I've been turning a blind eye to the fact that you two have started sharing a room, 'cos I know what the two of you have been through. I'm actually really _happy_ for you. I trust the two of you to be smart, even though you're both young. I know that you're smart enough not to take things too far just yet."

"You _know_ about that?" Asuka said with some alarm. "I thought that we were being a bit more careful about it than _that_."

"I know that you two _thought_ that you'd outsmarted me!" Misato replied with a condescending smile. "But I've been around for far too long for you to pull the wool over my eyes, Asuka. You should know that you can't keep any secrets from _me_!"

A knowing smile briefly crossed the young redhead's face. "I wouldn't be _too_ sure about that, Misato…" She said quietly.

There was a few moments silence between the two women as the truck bounced and rocked along the poorly maintained road. Then a frightening thought struck the Major. "Oh god... You're not _pregnant,_ are you?"

To the Major's surprise and relief Asuka actually laughed. Her careworn expression briefly giving way to a more relaxed smile. "So what was all of that about '_trust'_, Misato?" She said when she had finally finished. "No, for your information, I am _not_ pregnant! I am _still_ a virgin, thank you very much!"

"I'm glad to hear it!" Misato replied with a relieved sigh.

"_For now_… " The redhead muttered, casting a sideways glance at her guardian. In return Misato narrowed her eyes at Asuka meaningfully before deciding that the German girl was probably just joking with her.

Another uncomfortable silence settled over the cabin.

"How much longer until we get there?" Asuka finally asked.

Misato looked at her watch. "About half an hour or so."

"Great…" Asuka murmured sullenly. She drew her knees up to her chest as she huddled back into her seat. "_I feel sick…"_

Misato frowned as she looked over at Asuka. She was feeling deeply troubled by the redhead's dark mood. Rarely, for the purple haired woman, she was completely at a loss for words in the face of her ward's apparent distress.

The convoy rumbled on slowly through the tumbledown villages that dotted the landscape around Matsushiro. Even at this hour of the morning the stifling heat beat down on the landscape making it appear to Misato a ruined wilderness, completely devoid of human life.

"Misato…" Asuka finally broke the silence, although she still refused to meet the Major's eyes.

"Yeah?"

"If something goes wrong here, tell him… tell Shinji that I died instantly."

"Wh-What?" Misato said in complete shock. "What the hell are you talking about, Asuka?"

"_Nothing_…" Asuka answered, already regretting what she had said.

"Doesn't sound like '_nothing'_!" Misato said. "I don't know what's going on with you, Asuka." She was now feeling genuine concern for the girl's state of mental well-being. "You _know_ that you can tell me anything… in complete confidence."

"Careful what you wish for, Misato."

"Will you stop being so goddamned _cryptic_!" She just about yelled at the girl. Finally Asuka looked at her. Misato was shocked to see tears in her bright blue eyes.

"Fine," Asuka said with a sad smile. "If I survive this… and let me tell you, that's a pretty big if! Maybe… just _maybe_, you, me, _and_ Shinji can have a _serious_ talk."

She turned back to the window effectively ending the conversation.

"Well… _good_." Misato replied to the girl's back. Her own sense of foreboding now settled firmly in her gut.

* * *

><p><span>Matsushiro Base 1357hrs<span>

Asuka spat into the basin, trying to clear her mouth of the bitter taste of bile. Pooling a little of the running water into her cupped hands, she brought them to her mouth and gingerly sipped some of the metallic tasting liquid. She gripped the sides of the basin tightly as her stomach convulsed one more time before, with a force of will, she kept the liquid down.

"_This is ridiculous." _She muttered to herself_. "Get a grip, Soryu… she can't have brought you back just for this! Can she? It doesn't make any sense… I mean how many times are these stupid robots going to kill me?"_

She looked up from the swirling water and into the mirror. A pale and bloodshot eyed girl in a red plug suit stared back at her.

"Ikuhayo, Asuka." She said grimly to her reflection

* * *

><p>"Miss Ayanami, is everything alright?" The old sensei asked querulously.<p>

Rei looked around her in mild surprise. All of the remaining students of class 2-A had turned around to stare at her. She did not remember standing up, but she was now on her feet standing behind her desk, with her plastic backed school chair lying on the floor behind her where it had apparently fallen when she had risen.

Her hands were gripping the sides of her desk painfully, the flesh of her knuckles turning white with the strain. She was faintly aware that she had spoken, though she could not remember what it was that she had actually said.

"Yes, Sensei." She said after a pause.

"Then please return to your seat."

Rei sketched a small bow and righted her fallen chair, before sitting down behind her desk once more. A couple of the other girls in the class giggled at her, before being silenced by a look from Hikari.

"Very good." The sensei continued. "Now, if there are no _more_ interruptions, we shall proceed. Mr Aida, please continue reading."

"Yes, Sensei." Kensuke said before returning to reading aloud from the U.N. approved Second Impact Studies textbook.

Rei let her thoughts wander once more, her gaze straying to the view out of the classroom window. However, her thoughts were disturbed by the strong sensation that someone was staring at her. She turned back to the classroom and almost immediately found herself locking eyes with the Third Child. Shinji was staring at her intently, though also in some obvious confusion. After several seconds he broke off his gaze and returned his attention to the text in front of him.

Rei felt sick.

* * *

><p>Her first sight of Unit 03 did little to quell the purple haired Major's anxiety.<p>

The black Evangelion had a feral air to it that radiated menace even from the safety of the cramped bridge at the Matsushiro base. Misato watched as the cylindrical entry plug was slowly lifted into place behind the neck of the enormous grinning robot.

She toggled open a communications window.

"How's it going in there, Asuka?" She said.

"_It's freaking freezing in here_!" Came Asuka's reply over the speakers, causing a chuckle from several of the Matsushiro techs on the bridge. Most of them only knew of the Second Child from reputation, and it seemed that there was little genuine sympathy for the German girl.

That annoyed Misato enormously. "What's with the LCL temperature?" She barked at one of the smirking techs across the bridge.

"It's just been shipped from cold storage in Tokyo-03. Once the recirculation system comes online it will reach operating temperature in a couple of minutes." He answered.

"Make it happen, _lieutenant_!" Misato said harshly. "I'll be holding you responsible for any delays"

The man stiffened. "Yes, Ma'am!" He answered smartly.

"Man…" Misato muttered shaking her head. "Why the hell do we have to come all the way out to goddamned Hicksville for this stupid test."

"Because NERV doesn't have the capacity to support four Evangelions at Tokyo-03 at the same time." Came the answer. Misato looked around to see that Ritsuko had just entered the bridge.

"Well, look who finally decided to turn up." Misato griped.

"Actually, I've been here since 0530 this morning," Ritsuko answered primly, "or did you think that the core would just configure itself?"

"Meh." Was Misato's only answer.

Ritsuko glanced briefly over the plug's telemetry readings. "She's ready to go." She said simply.

Misato let out a sigh of relief. "We're all clear, Asuka!" She said cheerily over the comm.

"_Roger_." Came the strained reply. "_Let's do this already_. _The waiting is killing me_."

With a groan of machinery the plug was driven into the back of the Evangelion. The back armoured plates slid smoothly over the insertion point, covering up any evidence that the plug had ever existed.

"Begin start up sequence." Dr. Akagi ordered.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Pilot vitals are reading elevated heart rate and limbic activity." One of the techs reported. "Cortisol readings in the LCL spiking above nominal levels."

"Asuka," Misato said through the Comm. Channel. "Keep it together! This is just a routine activation, you've done this a hundred times."

"_Let's just do this_!" Asuka almost snarled back at her.

Misato and Ritsuko glanced at each other.

"Clearing absolute boundary." Another tech said.

Misato looked tensely at the screen showing the wavelengths of the pilot and the Evangelion as the two lines appeared to firstly clash and rebound off each other, before finally beginning to harmonise. The green and red lines were slowly reaching some kind of equilibrium.

"Absolute borderline passed. All systems green."

"You okay in there, Asuka?" Misato asked. "Your synch rate is hovering just above 43 percent! Well done!"

There was a few seconds silence. "_Really_?" Came the girl's astonished reply. "_You mean that there's no problems? At all?"_

"Well, duh." Misato replied with a grin. "Was there ever any doubt?"

She was overjoyed to hear Asuka actually laugh in response to her question. "_Well… maybe just a little…_" She replied.

Misato smiled at the girl's happy tone. A far cry from the ball of tension she had been last time they had talked.

"43 percent is still pretty marginal." Ritsuko said in the background, barely noticed by the Major. "I think that we should increase the plug depth by 0.8."

"Roger." One of the techs replied, tapping at her console. "Increasing depth by 0.8."

"See, Asuka?" Misato said brightly. "You were all worried over nothing!"

"_Maybe_… _Though if you ever tell_…" The girl's voice stopped mid sentence. "_Wait a second… Something's different_…"

"Dr Akagi," The tech said nervously, "We're reading some unexpected resonance in the synchronisation matrix."

"Let me see…" Ritsuko said as she started rapidly tapping at her own keyboard.

"Different?" Misato asked. "What do you mean different, Asuka?"

"_I… I don't know_…" Asuka answered. "_It's like there's something_…"

"Wavelength feedback detected within Unit 03!"

"What did you say?" Misato yelled at the tech, a sick feeling beginning to form in the pit of her stomach. Before he could answer her a gasp over the communication channel from Asuka caught her attention.

"Asuka, are you alright?"

"_Sh-She's so beautiful_…"

"Who is?" Misato shouted back in alarm. "What's going on, Asuka? Talk to me!"

"_So beautiful_!" Asuka repeated. "_Just like I remember_…"

"Asuka! Answer me! What do you see?"

"_Mama_… "

"Oh my God!" Ritsuko shouted. "The waveform is collapsing in on itself! It's going to… "

She was drowned out by a piercing scream from the Second Child.

"_Asuka_!" Misato yelled. "What's going on Ritsuko?"

"Massive energy spike detected within Unit 03!" A tech called in alarm.

"Wavelength detected, _Blue_!" Another screamed.

"What did you say?" The black giant was now beginning to heave and convulse against its restraints. Misato was only paralysed for a split second before all of her combat training kicked in. "Eject the plug! Transmit the abort code."

"Unit 03 is rejecting the signal!"

"Re-transmit! Inject Bakelite into the cage!"

Asuka's scream was still clawing at the inside of Misato's skull as the Major desperately tried to contain the writhing Evangelion.

Suddenly the screaming was cut off as the communication line went dead.

"A-T Field detected! Energy spike reaching critical levels!"

Just before the world exploded in white, she saw the jaw restraining bolts shear clean through as Unit 03's head reared back and its mouth opened in a horrific parody of a scream.

* * *

><p>"I need you to focus, Shinji!"<p>

"M-Miss Ibuki…" The boy stammered, his distress clear even through the communication channel. "What about Asuka, and Miss Misato?"

"We don't know yet!" Maya said gently, trying to calm the boy. "All we know is that there's been an incident at Matsushiro. All of our communication lines with the base there are silent."

"B-But Fath… the Commander said that there was an Angel?"

"That's right, Shinji." The young lieutenant replied grimly. "Our sensors indicate a blue wavelength in the area. That's probably what's blocking our transmissions. Once you land I'm sure that things will become more clear."

"Lieutenant." Came the voice of the Commander from his position above the bridge. "Please refrain from engaging in unnecessary conjecture with the pilots. We need the communication channels clear in case more important information comes to hand."

"Y-Yes, sir."

The silence over the bridge weighed heavily on the young tech. She bowed her head over her keyboard and prayed a silent prayer that Dr. Akagi had not been hurt.

"_Wings 00 and 01 approaching drop zone."_ Came the harsh metallic voice of the flight commander of the huge Evangelion flying transports.

The three main techs turned to look up at Commander Ikari, who merely nodded a their unspoken question.

"R-Roger." Hyuga stuttered, feeling lost without Major Katsuragi's guiding hand. "Drop on my mark."

"Shinji, Rei." He continued as he waited for the coordinates to align with the projected drop zone. "Once you've landed, rendezvous with the mobile support column and connect your umbilical cables. Then await further instruction."

"Hai." Both Children replied automatically. Rei's face a mask of placidity, Shinji's betraying his deep anxiety and concern.

After a few more tension filled seconds the coordinates on Hyuga's monitor flashed green. "Eva wing, on my mark…" He called over the channel. The numbers stopped flashing. "_Release_!"

The cameras onboard the two transports showed the Evangelions releasing and dropping rapidly toward the Earth far below. Units 01 and 00 quickly became small coloured dots against the landscape. Two small plumes of dust finally marking their landing points. Switching to the Eva's external feed, they were guided to the support units and told to await further developments.

They didn't have to wait for long.

* * *

><p>Asuka Langley Soryu was fighting for her life.<p>

Initially she thought that maybe the test was going to be okay. Maybe the Angel would take on a different form this time. She had breached the synchronisation threshold with Unit 03 far more easily than she had expected. She even reached a more than respectable 43 percent on her first try. Nothing sinister or out of the ordinary had occurred.

She had actually felt overjoyed at the result, even allowing herself to laugh in relief. Not even feeling any concern as Dr. Akagi had pushed the plug depth deeper into the American Evangelion. Maybe Lilith had pulled some strings to save her ass in this test? _Maybe_…

Then things had gotten weird.

The swirling kaleidoscope of colour that accompanied the increase in the plug depth had held little interest to her. She had seen such light-shows more times than she could count during her young life. This time though, it was different.

The plug grew darker and the colours changed and began to form an image that floated in front of her. The image that quickly formed was that of a woman in her late twenties. Her auburn shoulder length hair waved in the LCL of the plug and her bright blue eyes were almost a mirror of Asuka's own. The woman radiated an overwhelming sense of peace and surrender as she smiled at the girl. Forgetting everything else, Asuka had been lost in the kindness of the woman's eyes.

Asuka had reached out to her, but the apparition drew back, almost seeming to fade against the darkness of the interior of the plug. The German girl's heart was pierced by a longing to touch the woman. She faintly remembered calling out to her.

"_Mama_… "

At that the woman had come forward once again, her arms reaching out to the girl in the pilot's seat. As the hands had passed through Asuka's own a sharp stab of cold pain had lanced through Asuka from the point of contact. At that everything had changed.

The beautiful, serene face of her lost mother has begun to peel and suppurate before her horrified eyes. The skin blackened and sloughed back from the top of her head down. Hair, skin, and flesh putrefying and peeling away from the skull. Within seconds all that was left was a leering death's head that still grinned at the girl who cowered in the cockpit.

The empty eye sockets stared at her as the apparition leaned in closer to her, almost seeming to touch her face as she pulled away from it in disgust and horror.

'_Die with me, Asuka_.' It whispered into her mind.

Asuka screamed and it seemed had blacked out for some time.

When she had come back to her senses she wasn't in the plug anymore.

Asuka sat up in from the mattress that lay untidily on the floor. The fire was dying down, giving little light or heat in the dank living area of the small farmhouse. The wind howled outside and the bang and rattle of the shutters was far louder than it usually was.

She looked around the small room. She was alone. Shinji was nowhere to be found. Pulling the blanket up around her shoulders she got up from the bed and searched the small kitchen and living areas for the catatonic boy. Still he was nowhere to be seen.

"_Scheiße_!" She swore. Something tugged at the back of her mind, telling her something wasn't right here. That thought was scattered by a steady drip-drip of water that was coming from the bathroom.

Running to the door of the bathroom and bursting through it she was assaulted by the stench of old death. Shinji lay in the tub, the copper coloured water barely covering his naked body. He lay stiffly and awkwardly in the bath. She rushed to the side of the tub. She could see in the pale light from the opened window that his skin was grey and lifeless. His eyes were half opened, but unseeing. She reached into the cold bath and pulled his hand up out of the water. A long, bloodless slash ran the length of his left arm.

Down beside the bath a shard of glass caught the light. Asuka picked it up. Dark dried blood stained its jagged edge.

She held his cold dead hand to her face. "Shinji…" She cried. "Shinji. Why? Why would you leave me like this?"

"_The boy knew what was inevitable_." A dry lifeless voice came from above her. She looked up to see her mother, bare feet a metre off the floorboards, hanging from the light fitting on the other side of the bath. "_Why do you resist? Why did you not follow me all of those long lonely years ago? Die with me, Asuka! Die with him_."

"No!" Asuka cried out.

"_It is pointless to avoid the inevitable, child_." The hanging form of her dead mother said to her condescendingly. "_Why do you refuse my love_?"

"No…" Asuka whispered. "You're not _real_! None of this is _real_!"

"_Die with me_!"

"Never!"

"_Stupid child_." The voice of her mother said churlishly. "_I was going to make this easy for you_."

Suddenly the cabin, her mother, and Shinji disappeared from around her, leaving her in blackness once again.

"_Wondergirl_! I could use some fucking _help_ here!" Asuka yelled into the void.

* * *

><p>"Acquiring visual on target." Aoba said over the comm.<p>

A horrified hush fell over the bridge as the Angel crested the rise.

"Th-That's the Angel?" Hyuga stammered.

"Correct." The Commander replied sternly.

"But th-that's an _Eva_!" Shinji's voice cracked as he spoke.

"No." Gendo's answer was absolute. "That is your target. You _must_ destroy it."

"Asuka..." The boy said quietly. "She's in there… isn't she?"

"I don't know, Shinji." Maya answered. "Our sensors are being blocked…"

"Irrelevant." The Commander interrupted the young tech. "Evangelion Unit 03 has been designated as the 13th Angel. You must destroy it or perish."

"No… It can't be…" The boy whispered plaintively.

Rei listened to the boy's distress. She knew that the Second Child must inevitably be within the entry plug of the rogue Evangelion. She tensed herself. She would try to bear the brunt of this assault. To protect the Third Child from the horror of destroying the girl he loved if nothing else.

She narrowed her eyes as she watched the black Evangelion clamber across the low hill in the distance, making its way inexorably toward to two waiting units. It move with a feral, animalistic motion, more akin to a crawl than a walk. It let out a low growl as it seemed to spy Unit 01 standing to her right.

Unit 00 was the closest to the beast. Once it had come closer she willed her Evangelion forward on a converging course with it.

"Unit 00, moving to engage." Rei said simply over the communication channel.

* * *

><p>Asuka watched in horror as the thin, vein like, tendrils moved and writhed up her limbs and towards her body. each one carving a path of exquisite agony through her flesh. As they bulged and ran her plug suit tore and fell away, exposing the livid red path that they took.<p>

"No…" She moaned. "Don't touch me…"

Before her eyes a long bloody mark travelled the length of her right arm. From between the knuckles to the base of her shoulder. Blood began to seep from it into the surrounding LCL giving it a cloudy appearance. As her suit disintegrated further other long forgotten wounds on her chest and belly began to ooze blood as well.

"_Interesting_…" The voice of her mother spoke to her from the surrounding darkness. "_You are far more corrupted than I could ever have imagined_."

"Go to Hell!" Asuka screamed.

"_How quaint_." The voice mocked her. "_You Lilim are such children!"_

"Wondergirl! _Help me_ for fuck's sake!_"_

"_Who is this being you keep calling to? Is it one of your primitive gods that you pray to in the darkness_?"

Asuka kept struggling to hold back her terror as the tendrils came closer to her body. "Ayanami!" She said quietly, unable to hold back the tears that dissolved instantly in the LCL. "You _owe_ me! _Help me_, please!"

* * *

><p>Rei's nerves screamed in agony as the left arm of her Evangelion was blasted away to prevent further contamination. Unit 03 had been too fast for her, she had been unable to do anything to effectively engage it. It had simply brushed her attack aside with apparently minimal effort.<p>

Once it had her Unit 00 down it had begun to pour some kind of vile viscous liquid into Unit 00's left arm. Rei could feel the poison of it infecting her through her Evangelion. Despite the excruciating agony it had caused her, she knew that the Commander had made the right decision in blasting the arm off to prevent further contamination.

As if it had achieved its goal the black Eva abandoned Unit 00 in the rice field where it had fallen and stalked towards the still stationery form of Unit 01.

"_Shinji… I'm sorry_." Rei whispered to herself.

She watched in mute horror as Unit 03 stalked over to the purple Eva.

"Pilot." She heard the stern voice of Commander Ikari over her still active communication channel. "Engage and destroy the target."

"No!" Shinji screamed in response. "Asuka's in there! I can't!"

Unit 03 reached Unit 01 and with ferocious speed its unnaturally long arms lashed out and clasped around the throat of the Evangelion.

"Arrrgh!" Shinji's strangled cry echoed over the comm.

"You must engage. If you do not then you will die."

"I'd rather die than kill Asuka!" Shinji gasped out. Still Unit 01 did nothing to prevent the rogue Eva from squeezing the life out of it.

"Very well." The Commander said. "Lieutenant Ibuki. Ready the dummy plug."

Maya gasped and looked back at the Commander. "But sir, the dummy plug hasn't been tested properly! It's still unstable!"

"It's still better than a pilot that won't fight. Do it!" Gendo ordered.

"Y-Yes sir!"

With stumbling fingers Maya began countermanding the fail-safes that prevented the dummy system from taking the control of the Evangelion Unit from its pilot. Before she had even disabled half of them a cry from Lieutenant Aoba caught everyone by surprise.

"Second blue reading detected!" He shouted in alarm. "It's coming from _within_ Unit 03!"

Maya paused at her work in shock, the dummy plug system completely forgotten, as on the screen the rogue Evangelion suddenly tilted its head back and let out an ear splitting roar.

* * *

><p>"<em>Ayanami<em>!" Asuka screamed again, fighting the agony that felt like it was tearing her body apart. "How is letting me die in here supposed to _help_ Shinji? Help me you ethereal bitch!"

"_I grow weary of your primitive squawking, Lilim_." Her mother's voice said haughtily. "_It is time to end this."_

A new violence entered the assaults on Asuka senses as the Angel poured more energy into overwhelming the girl. Asuka screwed her eyes up and held back against the tide of pain attempting to violate her soul. As it grew nearer to engulfing her she felt her will becoming weaker, she knew that she would not be able to resist the Angel's onslaught for too much longer. "_Wondergirl_…" She whispered desperately. In that moment she felt the presence of another enter her. At that same moment she also felt that she gained a new strength to resist. It was like another will held her in its grasp. Instead of the foreign and harsh presence of the attacking Angel, this new sensation had a familiar feel to it. While grateful for its sudden intrusion into her losing battle with the violation of the Angel, she couldn't help but feel there was something faintly smug and annoying about this new presence.

Asuka grinned at her new found sense of power. "_About fucking time, Wondergirl_!" She snarled with a new-found ferocity.

With this power she used her will to push the other back from her body. Her eyes glowed red as the Angel retreated from her, a small hexagonal shield appearing before her, pushing the tendrils and pain away from her body.

"This is the light of my soul!" Asuka said in a voice that was no longer her own. "You shall not pass!"

"_Arrogant Child. You dare to talk of things you cannot comprehend_!"

"_This is the light of my soul_!" The voice that was not Asuka's repeated. "_You shall not pass_!"

"_Oh…_" The Angel's voice said with some surprise and apparent annoyance as its attacks relented. "_I see now that the whore is here too. I should not be surprised. I suppose in a way that it is fitting. It matters not anyway, for it is too late now. See how your lover dies at your own hands."_

Without transition Asuka was sitting back in the entry plug of Unit 03. She was still wearing her plug suit, which was whole and undamaged.

She could see from the cockpit Unit 01 in front of her, the long black arms of Unit 03 clamped around its neck, the thick strong fingers deforming the armour with the force of the pressure that they were exerting.

Vainly she heaved and pounded on the control yokes in a futile attempt to wrest control of the Eva away from the Angel. Still the fingers dug into the throat of Unit 01. Sickeningly she could feel the flesh and armour of the purple Eva giving way as if it were her own hands doing the strangling.

"Shinji!" Asuka screamed, attempting to use the communication channel. "Shinji, can you hear me?"

Static was her only reply.

"Shinji! Answer me, dammit!"

She almost squealed with joy when she heard the faint and crackling reply. _"A-Asuka? Are you in there_!"

"Shinji…" She said. "I'm sorry to have to do this to you! I need you to fight back! Don't let them take control of the Eva away from you!"

"_But, Asuka. I don't want to hurt you_!"

"Don't worry about me Shinji!" Asuka replied. "I need you to get this thing as far away from the people down there as possible! Then, when I give you the word, raise your A-T Field as strongly as you can! Can you do that for me?"

"_B-But Asuka…"_

"Please, Shinji?" She pleaded.

"_Okay_!"

Asuka watched as Unit 01 raised its arms and began pulling the hands of Unit 03 away from its neck. It only took a couple of seconds for the black Eva's hold to be broken. Asuka felt a stinging pain in her hands as Unit 03's were wrenched away from their stranglehold.

"Atta boy, Shinji!" She yelled in encouragement. She could feel the Angel trying to get to her to stop her interference, but a force was holding it back, preventing it from getting to her. Emboldened she wrenched at the control yokes. Disappointingly she wasn't able to wrest control of Unit 03 away from the Angel, but she was able to impede its progress just a little. The black Eva moved awkwardly now as it attempted to counter Unit 01's attacks on it. Each carefully timed move from the purple Evangelion was designed to move them both as far away as possible from populated areas where people might be put in danger. Through the pain transmitted to her from the rogue Eva, Asuka couldn't help but be impressed by the skill that Shinji showed, and having an Angel's eye view of the battle was strangely exhilarating, if not a little terrifying.

When she judged that the timing was right she yelled out. "Shinji, get back!"

She watched with some satisfaction as Unit 01 retreated about 20 metres from where she still struggled for control of Unit 03.

"A-T Field up _now,_ Shinji!"

Seeing Unit 01 step further back and raise its field, Asuka quickly clambered over to the back of the cockpit. Flipping open a red panel at the rear of the pilot's seat, she twisted and pulled the D handle up with all of her might.

* * *

><p>"Unit 03 has initiated its self-destruct protocol." Aoba said in a stunned voice.<p>

There were gasps from the other members of the bridge crew around him.

Up on the command bridge above them the Sub Commander spoke quietly to his former pupil.

"Is this what you wanted, Ikari?"

Gendo just let an imperceptible smirk show. "It will suffice as well as any other." He answered. "The Second is stronger than we gave her credit for. She may yet prove useful to us, if she lives."

Fuyutsuki chewed his lower lip as he watched the battle play out on the giant screen in Central Dogma.

* * *

><p>Shinji watched in horror as the black Evangelion writhed and clawed at the earth as if it was in the grip of madness. The feeling of impotence he felt in not being able to help Asuka, as she fought desperately to save herself, gripped his heart with agonizing pain. It had nearly broken him to have to fight against Unit 03, knowing that she was inside. With as much care and skill as he could manage while still fighting off the now clumsy attacks of Unit 03, Shinji pushed the infected unit away from the support teams and the farmsteads that dotted the area.<p>

He wanted so much to _save_ her. To be the one who protected the only person he had allowed so close to him since he was four years old from harm. To spare her the horrors that he knew she must be experiencing inside Unit 03. He would have given his life to be in that Evangelion instead of her.

"_Shinji, get back_!" He had heard Asuka scream over the sound only channel.

Without hesitation he stopped Unit 01 and moved back about twenty metres from the other Eva. His chest heaved painfully as he watched the continued struggling of the black Eva. In his mind he went back to the previous night that they had spent together. To the feeling of helplessness he had at the obvious pain that Asuka had felt. The desperation of the girl as she had kissed him and held him close in the dark of her bedroom. He clenched his fist. He was not going to let Asuka be harmed. He would rather _die_ first.

The alarmed voice of Lieutenant Aoba crackled over the comm.

"_Unit 03 has initiated its self-destruct protocol_!"

Shinji's heart dropped into the pit of his stomach.

"_Asuka_!" The boy screamed.

* * *

><p>Asuka wrenched again on the eject mechanism, the sound of gears groaning under the strain of trying to expel the plug from the back of the Evangelion sounding all around her. It seemed that the armoured plates protecting the back and neck of the Unit were seized shut by some kind of tarry substance. She could feel the Angel trying to claw her back into itself, so that she might die with it.<p>

"No dice, _bitch_!" She cried. "I am outta here!"

Unfortunately, it seemed her words were overly optimistic. No matter how hard she pulled at the lever the Plug was firmly stuck.

"Shit!"

"_Asuka_!" Shinji's voice crackled over the comm.

"_Shinji_!" Asuka screamed back. "Get your A-T Field up, goddamn it!"

Instead she suddenly felt Unit 03 lurch and she was thrown from her seat as the Eva suddenly lurched over and was thrown face down onto the ground.

"Shinji! What are you doing, idiot?"

There was no reply but the sound of armour plating being wrenched from the back of the Eva.

* * *

><p>The bridge crew watched in a mixture of horror and amazement as Unit 01 flipped the still struggling, though mortally wounded, Unit 03 over. It then pinned the struggling unit down on the ground with its knees. As they watched the purple Evangelion drew its progressive knife and stabbed precisely down into the upper back of the black Unit.<p>

Unit 01 then wrenched the back plates of armour off with brute force. The cameras showed that the plug was partially ejected, though still held in place by the strange blue tarry substance that oozed from the back of Unit 03.

The small rocket motors around the top of the plug fired, forcing the cylinder just a little further out from the back armour. Unit 01 grabbed the plug with both hands and with sheer force pulled the long white tube out of the gore.

Clutching the plug to itself, Unit 01 then drew back from the rogue Evangelion and hunched over with its back to it, at the same time raising it's A-T Field to maximum.

"Unit 03's core has reached critical!" Aoba called out.

Within a less than a second almost all of the surrounding countryside for 300 metres was obliterated in an enormous explosion as Unit 03's core collapsed in on itself and vaporised the black Evangelion almost completely. The screen in Central Dogma went offline as the sensors were either knocked out or destroyed in the blast.

Quickly the visual feed was re-established using a camera on a NERV satellite in orbit above Japan. Zooming in on ground zero, no trace of Unit 03 could be seen in the blasted landscape around where it had died but for a thick column of bloodshot smoke.

A short distance away Unit 01 still sat, hunched over and only lightly damaged, while still cradling Unit 03's entry plug almost tenderly in its arms.

* * *

><p>In the flashing strobes of the emergency crews it took him a few seconds to recognise her.<p>

"Katsuragi!" He called out.

She looked up, her eyes red and tired. "Kaji?"

Overcome with relief he rushed over and enveloped her in a tight bear-hug. "I'm so glad that you got out!"

"Oof!" Misato grunted at the impact. "Oww… my arm!"

"Uh… sorry, Misato." Kaji said sheepishly.

"That's okay, you oaf!" Misato said with a smile.

"Are you okay?" Kaji said worriedly looking at her heavily bandaged left arm. "You're hurt?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised that I made it out with just a banged-up arm." Misato replied, gesturing to her bandaged limb. "Fourteen of the cage crew weren't so lucky."

"I know…" Kaji replied. "Still, we were lucky that we got off so lightly with this one."

"_Lightly_?" Misato said incredulously. "Fourteen people are _dead_, one Eva is totally destroyed, another one crippled. Not to mention how many people have been hospitalised. _Plus_ there's a shiny new crater for the ordinance surveyors to write me yet more angry letters about!"

"Yeah… but at least the Angel was destroyed, and the kids are all in one piece."

Misato's eyes took on a new shine. "How are they? How's Asuka? How's Shinji taking it?"

"Yeah.. well.. Shinji's under confinement at the moment. Seems there was another clash of wills between father and son during the battle."

"_What_?" Misato asked worriedly. "That's the first anyone's told me about this! What happened?"

The pony tailed man looked around him nervously. "I can say too much here! Too many eyes and ears." He whispered.

Misato also glanced around as if expecting men in trench coats to be loitering nearby. "O-Okay." She said. "What about Asuka? Was she hurt?"

"I only got to see her briefly afterwards as they were putting her in an ambulance. She was pretty heavily sedated, but the paramedic told me that she wasn't too badly injured. Just '_Banged up a bit_' in his words."

"Thank god!" Misato sighed in relief. "Though what her mind will be like after an experience like that god only knows!"

Kaji smiled. "She's a tough kid. I think that she'll be okay."

"Yeah, she's a good kid."

"I hear that she's taken a bit of a shine to young Shinji? Poor boy's going to need to keep his wits about him to keep up with that one."

"Yeah… about Asuka…" Misato said.

"What about her?"

"You know how she's been acting a little oddly lately."

"Yeah." Kaji answered. "It could just be youthful angst. I think my line of work makes me a little paranoid sometimes. I was probably reading too much into what she said."

"I don't think so…" Misato said quietly. "She seemed to have some kind of premonition about what was going to happen today… It was really weird."

"Premonition?" Kaji replied in confusion. "Like ESP?"

"I don't know." Misato looked around her again. "Look… I'll talk to you about this later."

"Sure." Kaji replied uncertainly. "So… How's Akagi?"

"Ritsuko? Fine… I guess. She got off more lightly than I did physically. Though mentally she seems to be taking it a lot harder."

"What do you mean?"

* * *

><p>In the back of one of the portable situation vans about twenty metres from where the two former lovers were discussing the fallout from that day's disaster, a blonde figure in a lab coat with a heavily bandaged forehead sat with her laptop in front of her.<p>

Ritsuko Akagi's eyes widened as she analysed the data she had streamed from the MAGI back at Central Dogma to her personal access point. She wiped her face to clear the hot tears from her cheeks as the incontrovertible realisation that the figures on the screen were telling her.

"He knew… He _knew_ that this was going to happen…." The broken woman whispered over and over to herself. "He knew and he sent me here to _die_…"

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter 11<strong>

Hope that you enjoyed Chapter 11 of Unbroken. I can't be too sure how long it will take to get Chapter 12 up and posted. Between some long delayed study and travel coming up in the next little while, it may take a little longer to write. Then again... I think that time has well and truly shown that I suck at predicting when my next update will come.**  
><strong>

So... Watch this space I guess!

Cheers

Donderkind.


	12. Winter's Threshold

Egad! This fic still lives!

If I spent as much space as I should here, apologizing for the colossal amount of time since my last update, this chapter would be three times as long as it already is!

**Unbroken**

"_From a certain point onward there is no longer any turning back. That is the point that must be reached._"

-Franz Kafka, '_The Trial'_ 1914/15.

**Chapter Twelve:**

_**Winter's Threshold**_

* * *

><p>She <em>hated<em> this place.

It wasn't the reek of cheap ramen and stale beer that saturated the night air. Nor was it the buzzing, garish lights that assaulted the surrounding darkness. It wasn't the unending cacophony of electronic beeps and squeaks from the pachinko parlours as the balls rattled around their pegs. It wasn't even the sounds of off-key karaoke that drifted out of several nearby bars.

Over the last few years she had become more familiar with this end of town than she ever had wanted to be. It represented so much to her than just the seedy end of town full of drink sodden salarymen and the buzzing brightness of so many gaming parlours crammed into Old Hakone's small commercial district.

Hikari Horaki _hated_ it with every fibre of her being. She hated it with more passion than those who knew her would have suspected that the quiet, well mannered, girl ever possessed.

It represented to her the loss of her old life. Of her feeling happy and feeling safe. A life before the weight of responsibility had fallen so heavily upon the middle girl of the Horaki family. A life where Jun Horaki had been the devoted and proud father of three young girls as well as the loving husband to a seemingly ever smiling wife and mother to Kodama, Nozomi and herself.

A life that would _never_ have involved her standing alone and nervous, late at night, in the seedy end of town. That would _never_ have involved her waiting for her father to finish his game and come home so that she could feed him the reheated dinner that she had cooked for herself and her sisters over three hours earlier.

A life that had died nearly four years ago.

That one lab accident had left a larger hole in her young world than just the loss of the vibrant, loving mother of three young girls.

"Hello, little lady!"

Hikari squeaked and spun around to face the owner of the slurring, beer sodden voice. Between her and the pachinko parlour that her father frequented was the reeking, drunken figure of an overweight middle-aged salaryman. His half-finished plastic cup of beer sloshing around carelessly in his hand.

"Wh-what's a pretty little thing like you doing here?" He continued with a drunken leer.

"I-I'm w-waiting for my Papa…" She stammered nervously. _'Why does this always happen?_' "H-He'll be here in a minute… sorry!"

The shabby, grey-suited man seemed not to hear her. He stepped closer to where Hikari stood and grabbed hold of her arm roughly.

"Please…" She begged, pulling her arm out of his grip. "My Papa will be here _really_ soon…"

"_Will_ he…" The man said with a creepy leer. "I'm sure that your '_Papa'_ won't begrudge you spending a little time with me now, will he?" The man continued. "I'll make it worth your while…"

"What?" Hikari replied in shock. "_No_! Please leave me alone!"

"Come on now… Don't be like that…" He said, raising his hands placatingly.

Across the way Shinji Ikari stood watching his school friend struggle with the drunken man. He shifted his backpack uncomfortably on his shoulders. The last thing he wanted right then was to bring any kind of attention upon himself. He had come here, to the seedy entertainment district of Old Hakone, for the sense of escape that could only be found in a crowd. Over time he had come to know that there was nowhere more anonymous or alone as being in a large group of people that you didn't belong to.

He had spotted Hikari not long before the man had started bothering her. What a proper young lady like her was doing out in this end of town at night he couldn't even imagine. He was too heartsick and tired to care right at that moment anyway. Even when she had started to receive the unwanted attention of the salaryman he had just thought that the she would be able to see him off without too much trouble. She was the Class Representative after all. She always spoke with authority.

After just a few more seconds he realised that the man wasn't going to stop harassing Hikari. The passing crowd of people didn't give the older talking to the teenager a second glance as they bustled by. Even from where he stood Shinji could tell from her body language that Hikari was becoming scared.

"_Shit_." He muttered quietly to himself before shouldering his bag and beginning to walk across the street towards to two of them.

"…my Papa is just inside." Hikari was saying. "He'll be out here _really_ soon!"

"He's not here _yet_." The man replied with a snarl. "Why don't you stop being so frigid and…"

"Excuse me, sir."

They both spun around to see Shinji Ikari standing before them, his face unreadable in the neon glow of the surrounding lights.

"Fuck off, kid." The man slurred. "I'm busy."

Shinji swallowed hard. The man was a lot bigger than him, and had obviously been drinking heavily. He was out of his depth here and he knew it. From behind the man, though, he could see Hikari looking at him. Her eyes shining brightly at him with hope in the neon glow.

"My friend doesn't want to talk to you, _sir_." He said. "Why don't you go to that bar back there, have a couple more drinks and forget that you ever saw her?"

"I said, _fuck off_!" He was yelling now. People were skirting by them, leaving enough space so as not to get involved, surreptitiously watching the confrontation out of the corners of their eyes.

"No." Shinji replied more firmly. "My friend and I will be leaving. Without you."

"Cocky little bastard!" The man yelled, pushing Shinji hard in the chest. The boy stumbled but kept his feet, his months of training kicking in as he ducked a flying hay-maker, dodged another lunge by the drunk and came in close enough to bring his knee up into the man's crotch with all of the force he could muster. The suited man dropped instantly to the ground with a strangled grunt.

All was silent around him. Only the unending ping and rattle of the pachinko machines filling the night air as the people around them stood quiet and still at the spectacle of the slight teenager felling the hefty salaryman so quickly.

"Arrrgh… You little shit!" The man gasped in pain as he struggled up from the pavement. "I'll fucking _kill_ you!"

"I wouldn't try it." Shinji replied, holding his cell-phone in his hand. "There are at least a dozen Section 2 men within 300 metres of us here. I press this red button on my phone and they'll come running."

"S-Section 2?" The man replied nervously. All Tokyo-03 knew the reputation of NERV's secret police. "You're one of those NERV brats?"

"That's right." Shinji replied more confidently. "Think of what might happen to your family if you just _disappeared_?"

The man winced as he walked towards them, his hands out. "I was just having a little fun with the young lady, that's all!" He pleaded. "You know that!"

As quickly as it had stopped, the noise and hubbub began again around them as the crowd, sensing that their entertainment was over, resumed its usual level of activity.

"Please, _don't_ call Section 2!" He pleaded again. "I'll do whatever you want!"

"Just leave." Shinji answered.

"Y-Yes, sir… Right away!"

The man staggered off and was swallowed up into the thronging crowd in an instant. Leaving Shinji and Hikari standing awkwardly together under the streetlight.

"A-Are you okay, Miss Horaki?" Shinji asked, exhaling heavily.

Hikari took a deep, shuddering breath and looked over at the young man next to her. "_Hikari_, please. And, yes, Shinji. Thanks to _you_ I am!"

She could see his faint blush even under the streetlights. "Anyone would have done it…" He said shyly.

"I don't think so; there are at least two hundred people on this street. Not even one of them said or did a thing! Only you, Shinji! Only _you_ came to save the day!"

"I-I shouldn't have threatened him… that was wrong!" Shinji said, bowing his head.

"Don't be so silly! If you hadn't, what would have happened to me?" Hikari replied. "Thank you, Shinji Ikari. Thank you for being my hero!"

"I'm not a hero…"

"You are to me, Shinji Ikari!" Hikari said, giving the boy a light kiss on the cheek.

"_M-Miss Horaki!"_ Shinji said, flustered. "I-I…. I mean… uh… Thank you."

"No, thank _you_! You rescued me from that drunken pervert." She shuddered at the memory. "I was _really_ scared for a few moments there. He was huge!"

"He was, wasn't he?" Shinji replied as what he had done finally hit him. The teen crouched over, his hands resting on his knees. "I feel sick." He said

The pig-tailed girl looked at him and smiled. "I can see why Asuka likes you so much!" She said.

The brown haired teen grimaced at the mention of the Second Child's name.

"What's wrong, Shinji?" Hikari asked.

"I-I don't think that Asuka will want to see me again…" Shinji stammered, straightening back up.

"Why ever not?"

"I-In the last battle… She...She was hurt… the Angel. My fault…"

"Is Asuka okay?"

"I-I don't know." Shinji answered forlornly.

"Did you hurt her on purpose?"

"No."

"Did she say anything to blame you for it?"

"No…"

"Have you even _spoken_ to her?"

Shinji just shook his head dumbly.

"Why not?" Hikari demanded, more harshly than she meant to.

The Third Child winced under her tone. "I can't face her… not after what happened. Not after I let her… after she was… hurt… I can't..." He trailed off.

The Class Rep's face softened. "I'm sorry Shinji," She said. "After what you just did for me, I shouldn't be so hard on you."

"Th-That's okay."

"You _do_ know that Asuka cares a lot about you, don't you?" She said. "Don't you think that maybe if you talked to her, maybe she might actually be okay about whatever happened?"

Shinji shrugged.

"_Call_ her, Shinji" Hikari continued. "Call her and you'll see that she'll be fine!"

"I-I can't…"

"Please, Shinji!"

"I…." Shinji's eyes were searching the area, as if he were looking for an escape. "I… I've gotta go!"

"Shinji! Don't run away!" But he was already backing away from her, his eyes no longer meeting hers.

"See you Hikari…. Thanks!"

"Shinji…"

He waved nervously at her before turning and walking away. Hikari's mouth twisted. '_Shinji Ikari.' _She thought to herself_. 'Slayer of Angels… terrified of people_.'

She watched him fade into the crowd. Once he was gone from view, she reached for her cell-phone and dialed.

* * *

><p>"You going to nurse that cup of tea all night?"<p>

"Huh?" Shinji said, looking up. Staring down sternly at him was the middle-aged owner of the coffee shop where he had finally settled down in for the evening. He really had no plans beyond staying there, his back turned to the outside world. He would just sit there until the café closed. After that, he would have to figure out what to do with the rest of the night.

"Sorry..." He mumbled to the lady, quickly finishing the cold dregs from his cup. "Could I have another please?"

The lady's face softened. "Sure, honey." She answered, giving him a smile. "As you can see, I got no one else in here!"

"Sorry," Shinji said again. "If you want to close up I can move on…"

"Don't be silly!" She answered as she bustled over to the counter. "I gotta stay open for another hour anyway! Most of my best paying customers don't come in 'til eleven or so. Poor drunken souls. Thinking that a quick shot of coffee will wake them up and hide the smell of booze on their breath so that their wives won't know that they've been out drinking with their buddies all night!"

"Oh…. Okay…" Shinji answered, thinking of the unpleasantness with the drunken salaryman from earlier in the evening. "Thanks, then."

"Not a problem, sweetie!" She said as she placed another steaming cup of tea on the table in front of him.

"Thank you." Shinji said as he went to fish some notes out of his pocket. The owner quickly waved him back.

"This one's on the house." She said with a warm smile.

"Uh… Thanks…"

She looked down at him appraisingly. "You look a little lost here, Honey." She said. "Don't you have a family to go home to?"

Shinji dropped his head. "No…"

"Sorry to hear that, Hon. Lots of people like you these days, though. Things are tough all over. Still, there must be someone out there who cares about you, nice kid like you?"

"There… there used to be… not anymore…"

"Hmm…" She said with an unreadable look. "Don't be so certain. I'm sure that somewhere there's a beautiful young lady who thinks the world of you!"

Shinji just shook his head.

"No… There's no-one."

"I wouldn't be so sure of _that_." The café owner said with a wink as she made her way back to the counter.

Shinji frowned as he looked back at her. "What do you mean?" He said.

"She _means_ that I'm standing right behind you, idiot!" A familiar voice said from the doorway.

"Wha… Huh…?"

"I'm glad to see that you haven't lost any of your eloquence since I last saw you!" Asuka sniped as she stepped around the table to stand in front of Shinji.

"A-Asuka!" Shinji gasped finally.

"Hiya Shinji." The redhead said with a smile. He stared at Asuka dumbly for a few moments, even while his heart pounded fiercely in his chest. He could see that she had been hurt. Hurt because he had been unable to protect her in the battle. Her right wrist was wrapped in thick crepe bandage almost to her elbow, and from above her left eyebrow to the side of her cheekbone the faintest hint of bruising flowered around her bright blue eye.

She still looked so beautiful that it made his heart ache.

Asuka shifted self-consciously under his gaze. "Well?"

"Huh?"

"Are you gonna ask me to sit down, or are you just going to sit there and stare at me all night?"

"Oh… uh… P-Please sit down Asuka!" Shinji said, starting to his feet. Quickly he went around to the opposite side of the table and pulled out the chair for her. Arching an eyebrow at him, Asuka sat down in the chair as he pushed it in for her and waited, smirking slightly, as he sat back down across from her.

"It's good to see you Shinji!" She said.

"Th-thanks, Asuka." Shinji replied, still not meeting her gaze.

"Would you like a drink, sweetie?" The café owner had reappeared at their table.

"Yes please." Asuka answered. "Ummm… a latte please."

"Pretty, and such good manners too!" The lady said with a smile. "I can see why he likes you so much!"

"Thank you Ma'am." Asuka replied. The café owner quickly bustled off to make her order.

An awkward silence enveloped them for a few moments.

"Well, _aren't_ you happy to see me?" Asuka asked finally.

"Yeah…. It's just…"

"What?" Asuka interrupted more sharply.

"You're hurt." He said simply.

"You mean _this_?" Asuka replied, waving her wrist in front of him. "Believe me; I've had _far_ worse than _these_ couple of scratches! Anyway," She continued wryly. "I thought maybe you might dig a girl with a few scars!"

Shinji gave a short laugh at her joke, bringing his eyes up to meet hers. Again the café was silent except for the owner busily making Asuka's order behind the counter.

"I was so scared that…that you'd been hurt." Shinji said suddenly, moisture beginning to build in his eyes. "I-I _tried_ to protect you, but I couldn't. You were so brave in the battle, so strong." He said with a sniff. "When they wouldn't let me go near your ambulance… I was scared that maybe I'd hurt you… maybe… maybe that you…"

Across from him Asuka's face grew more serious. "So, why didn't you come and see me?" She asked him.

"I couldn't…"

"_Bullshit_ Ikari!" Asuka interrupted. "I lay in that hospital bed for two days! Two goddamn days, bored out of my enormous throbbing brain, waiting for you to come through that door and…and… fucking well _hold_ me, or something… _anything_!"

"I'm sorry…" Shinji tried to say but Asuka held up her hand.

"You know who eventually turned up?" She continued. "Not you. Not even freaking Misato! You know who?"

He shook his head.

"Fucking _Wondergirl_! That's who!"

"Rei?"

"Yes, _Rei_!" Asuka replied. "Little Miss Perfect comes to see me and she tells me that you've been locked up for defying your _Arschloch_ of a father!"

Shinji just nodded, unable to answer her.

"All well and good, I approve of you doing that." Asuka continued more calmly, nodding to herself. "So anyway, I get up from my sickbed and force Wondergirl to take me down to the cells, to see _you_! I walked through four kilometres of breezy hallways in a flimsy hospital gown. _Four kilometres_! Only a drip stand, a backless gown and a pair of paper hospital underpants between me and all of the douchebag lolicon perverts that NERV seems to keep on its payroll!"

"Oh." Shinji said simply.

"You'd better believe it!"

At that moment the café owner returned with Asuka's coffee. The redhead thanked her sweetly before waiting for the lady to return to the counter. A few other customers came staggering in at that time and soon the owner was fully occupied with them.

Shinji waited as Asuka poured some sugar into her glass and took a sip of the milky looking coffee. "Bleargh." She said sticking her tongue out. "She may be a nice lady, but she makes a truly appalling cup of coffee!"

"Now." She continued finally. "Where was I?"

"Uh…" Shinji replied. "Walking through NERV in paper underpants?"

Asuka sighed. "That's right." She said with a nod. "Which was all _your_ fault, by the way."

Shinji chose neither to confirm nor deny this, but rather waited for the redhead to continue her tale. Which she did after another short pause for effect.

"So, Wondergirl and I _finally_ make to the cells area and what do we find?" She asked rhetorically. "It was _empty_! The only person there was some dirty old guard who kept undressing me with his eyes. Eventually Ayanami got him to stop ogling me long enough for him to tell us that you were released about twenty-four hours earlier! A whole goddamn day and you didn't even see fit to visit your girlfriend, who was lying in the _fucking_ hospital! How do you think I felt?"

"I-I'm sorry…" Shinji stammered.

"Oh no, you don't get to '_Sorry'_ your way out of this one Ikari!" Asuka interrupted. "_Naturally_ I was _pissed_. So I discharged myself from the infirmary and caught the train back to the apartment. I think that you _know_ where this is going, don't you?"

"Uh-huh."

"Of course, _you're_ not there, though some of your clothes and backpack are missing from our room." Asuka paused for a moment and sniffed. Shinji looked up from the table and was shocked to see tears forming in her bright blue eyes. "You do remember _our_ room, don't you Shinji?"

Shinji nodded.

"The room where you held me and kissed me the night before… before the Angel tried to take me?" Asuka asked him. "Where you told me it would be okay and that you'd never leave me alone?"

"Y-Yes."

"Yet here you are, Shinji. Running away _again_. If it hadn't been for your knight in shining armour act for Hikari, I might never have found you."

"Y-You know about that?"

"Of course I do!" She replied. "How do you _think _that I happened to find you here? Hikari rang me straight after you did your little disappearing act. She's a smart girl… sometimes. She at least knew that I'd want to know _why_ you were moping around the seedy end of town like a lost puppy! Apparently only pausing briefly from your wandering ways to kick a wayward salaryman in the balls!"

"Oh."

"Hmmm…" Asuka said after it became clear that Shinji wasn't going to elaborate on that syllable. "Shinji. This whole '_I talk, you listen_' thing is all well and good. I'm _usually_ a big fan of it, you know that. _Most_ of the time. But this one-sided conversation needs to become much more balanced, _now_."

"O-Okay…"

"So… _talk_."

"Well," Shinji began, his eyes glued to the table top. "F-Father put me in the cells, because he said I had disobeyed orders and been insubordinate to him during the battle. They only kept me in there overnight though. Some Section 2 guy came the next day and told me I could go home. Father didn't even come to release me himself."

"Did you _really_ expect him to?"

"I-I don't know." Shinji replied, still looking downward. "I just... I went back to the apartment. You weren't there, Misato wasn't there. Only Pen-Pen was waiting for me. He just wanted me to feed him, of course. After that he just went back into his fridge." He paused for a second before continuing. "I rang Misato; she told me that you were in the infirmary. Sh-She couldn't even tell me if you were okay or not. That _scared_ me. I-I just hung up on her. What if, because of me, you had been really badly injured? What if you had lost an arm or leg or something? I was so scared! I thought that if I had done that to you, you…you might never want to see me again. I couldn't face that, so I-I ran away… _again_. Like I always do."

He grew silent again. Asuka sighed to herself and took another sip of her coffee.

"Look," She said after a pause. Shinji brought his gaze up from the teacup in his hands and stared at her. "I know that you think that I can't understand what you feel."

"_No_." He said. "No one can ever understand anyone! My father… he wanted me try to kill you! I was so scared that you would never want to see me again because I was too weak to try and save you. I was scared that you'd be angry at me, that you might even hate me!"

"_Hate_ _you_?" Asuka said incredulously. "You _did_ save me, you big dope! Why would I be angry if the person that I cared about most in the world saved me?"

"I-I thought that I had let you die Asuka… You don't know what it's like to see the only thing you've ever let yourself care about be destroyed in front of your eyes! My father…"

"Shinji," Asuka interrupted, reaching out a hand and placing it over his. "I know what your father has done to you. When I say that I understand, I mean it. Maybe better than anyone else could, I know what it means to you to be treated the way you are by him."

"How could you know?" Shinji asked with real passion in his voice. "How _could_ you understand? You always been the best, always been praised! I-I only want him to see how hard I'm working just trying to live up to him… but all he does is reject me and try to destroy anything I care about! He tried to make me kill you Asuka! How could you understand how that feels?"

The silence between them after his outburst was heavy and oppressive. As he looked over at Asuka he face was obscured by her hair as she hung her head down.

"I-I'm sorry, Asuka." He began. "I didn't mean…"

The redhead held up her hand and the words died on is lips. Slowly she raised her head. He was shocked to see the lone tear that ran down her bruised cheek. The blueness of her moisture filled eyes seemed intensified by the emotion behind them.

"I _do_ understand, Shinji. Maybe more than you know…"

He just nodded, still held speechless by her glistening eyes.

"You know…" She began almost tentatively a quiet sniff the only show of emotion in her voice. "The day I was chosen to become a pilot… was probably the worst day of my life."

"_Worst_?" Shinji interrupted incredulously. "But I thought…"

"That's right, Shinji. _Worst_." Asuka said harshly, cutting him off. "It left scars on me that I can't… That… that…"

"What do you mean, Asuka?" Shinji said. "I thought that you _loved_ to pilot Eva. You're always so strong…. Me, I'm the weak one. I'm the one that runs from everything…"

"We were living with my Grandmother in Regensburg." Asuka suddenly began speaking again. He was surprised to see that her own gaze was now fixed back on her hands as they moved restlessly around the coffee cup in front of her on the table. "Mama... Mama had been sick for nearly six months at that time I think. We had just moved to the south so that Grandmother could look after her. My father," Asuka ground out the word. "Well _he_ had run off with the chief doctor at the psychiatric ward Mama had been in before that. _Bastard_."

"That's awful." Shinji said with some sympathy.

"It wasn't so bad actually." Asuka answered. "We weren't far from the woods; sometimes Grandmother and I would wheel Mama out into the garden. We could just see the forest from her terrace. I remember that there were butterflies. They were so pretty. Grandmother would point them out to me and I'd try to chase them."

"Sounds nice."

"It was." Asuka replied. "Sometimes I still feel like I can still smell those woods if I think about them hard enough."

"I-I wish that I had happy memories like that." Shinji said.

"Then one day the package came." Asuka continued flatly. "Grandmother took it from the courier and gave it to me. All that it contained was a set of ceramic neural clips and a note requesting that I present myself to the chief medical officer of NERV at New Peenemünde in northern Germany by the end of the week. I was only five, but I knew what it meant. Mama had been working so hard on Project E before… her accident. She always told me that I would be the pilot. She said that it would be the greatest joy she could have to see her daughter piloting _her_ robot. She told me that I would become the savior of Humanity."

Shinji just nodded, he could see that Asuka's eyes had a faraway look to them. She was, even now, still seeing the events of that day.

"I ran to tell Mama." Asuka's voice broke a little at this, but no other sign of emotion crossed the redhead's features. "I ran down the hall, I can still remember the sound of my shoes clomping on the wooden floorboards. I ran and flung to door open to announce my triumph. Now Mama would be proud of me. Now she wouldn't need to be sick anymore. Now she might love me again instead of that stupid doll!"

The café was silent now. The drunks had left and the owner was busy at the till. Apart from her they were all alone in there.

"Mama was hanging from an old iron light fitting in the ceiling." Asuka said simply. "Her face was purple and swollen. Her eyes bulged out. I remember the smell… She…she had… when she had…" Asuka put her hands over her eyes. "Even the doll, that fucking dead eyed doll… She had hung it too. Its head had been nearly ripped off by the force of it as she had tried to kill it."

"That… That's awful." Shinji said in horror.

Asuka didn't even seem to hear him. "She thought it was _me_…"

"What?"

"She thought it was me!" Asuka said more forcefully. "It had roughly cut red hair; it had "ASUKA" scrawled on its frilly red dress. When she strangled that fucking doll, she thought that she was killing _me_!"

"Asuka…"

"_Now_ do you still think that I don't understand rejection? _Now_ do you think that I don't know what it's like to put your soul into something and knowing that you can never, ever, be good enough?"

"I-I'm sorry, Asuka." Shinji replied sadly. "I didn't know… You're always so strong I just thought that…"

Asuka sighed. "You just thought that everyone else was going along just fine and you were the only one struggling to hold it together in this whole clusterfuck of a world. Am I right?"

Shinji just nodded.

The redheaded girl just smiled at him. He couldn't help but be struck by the beauty of that smile; even with several stray tears still rolling down her pale cheeks. "Well, I've figured something out in the last month or so, Shinji." She said. "Just about everyone else feels pretty much the same way."

"You think?"

"Definitely."

Finally Shinji smiled back at her. Asuka felt her heart begin to hammer in her chest as she saw that she had finally really reached him. Feeling her strength and resolve growing within her, she stood up. The noise of her chair scraping on the tiled floor echoing through the empty café. Grinning, Asuka held out her non-bandaged hand towards him.

"Come on, Shinji." She said with a sniff. "Let's go home. I'll even let you make me pancakes!"

He stood up and took hold of her hand. As always he was amazed at how cool and soft it felt in his own hand, nothing like the girl it belonged to. Although now, he felt that maybe he had been mistaken all along about the German girl.

Leaving some money and a tip on the counter for the owner, the two pilots walked hand in hand out into the Tokyo-03 night.

* * *

><p>The train ride through Tokyo-03's inner suburbs to their local station was mostly done in silence. Hands clasped firmly they sat nestled together in the carriage, both enjoying the sensation of touch that their close proximity brought them.<p>

Stepping off the train and walking down the brightly lit platform to the station exit, Asuka couldn't help but remember what it had looked like before. A grey, lifeless ruin, with heavy snow drifts piling up and threatening to engulf it. Ruined and gutted trains, some lying on their sides, littered along the tracks.

It seemed surreal to her even now how _intact_ everything was. Seeing it all now filled her with a sense of mixed happiness and fear that caused her to squeeze Shinji's hand all the tighter as they walked down the road that exited the station car park. Shinji squeezed her hand back in return and gave her a nervous, but warm and genuine smile. She smiled back at him and, on an impulse, leaned in and kissed him forcefully on the lips. The redhead almost laughed as he started with surprise before returning the kiss. Just as quickly they broke off and Asuka could feel the heat of the blush that she was pleased was hidden in the dim light from the streetlamps.

She drank in the warmth and tranquility of the night as they walked on. The gentle night breeze that rustled the leaves of the perpetually green trees. The sounds of crickets and unseen night creatures that filled the air with the sounds of life. She felt so _alive_. So full of energy. Asuka wondered briefly if her memories of trudging down this very road, dragging that heavy sled through the snow and ice, with her body emaciated and aching, was perhaps some kind of fevered dream. Without even realising she brought her hand up to her eye. The skin there was smooth and unmarked. Gone was the rough and puckered scar that marked her defeat at the hands of the Mass Production Evangelions. No sharp pain lanced through her skull at the merest touch of her bandaged hand.

She was _alive_. Shinji was alive. Misato and Kaji and Hikari and all of the others were alive. She had survived the 13th Angel. _Just._ Maybe, just maybe, she had a chance of actually making it out of this in one piece.

"Asuka?"

"Hmm?" She replied, still lost in her own thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Shinji asked her with a slightly worried look on his face.

Taking a second to clear her head she saw that they had stopped just across the road from the entrance to the parking garage for their apartment block. "Of course I'm okay!" She said quickly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know." Shinji replied. "You just seemed to space out there for a minute." He gestured to the darkened entrance to the car park that still, to Asuka, seemed like the ominous and threatening maw of some sunken monster. "You want to take the stairs, like usual?" Shinji said, beginning to lead her towards the opening of the stairwell.

He was quickly brought up short by Asuka's hand holding him back. The redhead had not moved from where they had been standing. He eyes were still fixed on the entrance. In her mind she could see the whole building condensed to just a pile of concrete, glass and twisted steel. There had been, since she had returned, something threatening about the car park entrance. She had avoided it ever since that first night with Misato.

The German girl shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Bringing her bandaged hand up to her face she pushed her hair back from her face and looked Shinji squarely in the eyes. "What are you, _stupid_ or something?" She said with a grin. "There's like three hundred freaking stairs up there! Let's take the lift!"

Before Shinji could do anything more than smile uncertainly, the redhead grabbed his hand tightly in hers and dragged across the street and into the entrance beyond.

Their footsteps echoed loudly in the concrete cavern of the car park. Shinji had the impression of being hauled bodily at speed by his fellow pilot as she made a beeline for the lift doors. Asuka pressed the up button at least a dozen times in the seven seconds or so it took the lift doors to open and dragged him inside. The doors slowly closed behind them.

"Come _on_, how long do these Japanese lifts take to travel a couple of floors!"

"Asuka, are you sure you're okay?"

She spun around to face him. "Of course I'm okay!" She said for the second time that night.

"I-I'm glad."

The redhead smiled at him, even in her bruised face her blue eyes shining, though the look in them was verging on predatory. "Thank you Shinji… So am I…"

"You're wel…" He was unable to say more as Asuka virtually leaped on him, her arms wrapping around him and her lips pressed to his passionately.

There was a loud '_ding'_ and the lift doors slowly rattled open.

Asuka pulled slightly back from the embrace, though her arms still clutched Shinji tightly.

"You know something, Shinji." Asuka said breathily. "I'm sick of pussyfooting around this…"

"Huh?"

Pulling him roughly through the door and down the corridor towards their apartment door.

Once inside the darkened apartment, Asuka didn't even wait for Shinji to take his shoes off at the entryway before once again pouncing upon him. The redhead pressed herself against him and kissed him passionately, forcing him back to the wall to try and balance himself. After some initial tentative moves to embrace her, he returned her kisses with equal fervour. How long they remained clasped together like that neither of them knew, all either of them was aware of was the sudden and overwhelming sense of true connection with the other and the urgency and heat of their need.

Finally Asuka broke off their embrace and clasped Shinji hand in her own as she led him towards the bedroom that they had shared for the last several months.

"Fuck pancakes!" Asuka breathed hoarsely. "I've got a better idea!"

* * *

><p>She could sense his churning thoughts even through the fog of her own sleepiness. She turned over in the small bed and opened her eyes to look at him. In the dim blue light cast through the bedroom window she could see Shinji's own eyes shining clearly. His brow was furrowed in a slight frown. Even though he must have known that she was awake too, and looking right at him, he remained staring intently at the ceiling above them.<p>

"Shinji." She said softly. His eyes narrowed slightly, but otherwise remained fixed.

Asuka propped herself up on her arms, feeling the sheets sliding off torso, leaving her bare upper body exposed in the cool night air. She made no attempt to cover herself.

"Shinji." She said again. "Look at me."

His eyes moved down to look at her. Quickly she saw his gaze rest on her face, before quickly flicking down to take in her naked body. Just as quickly he returned to looking at the ceiling again. She could see the fear and shame in his eyes now.

"Shinji… I said look at me!" Asuka repeated in a fierce whisper. She reached forward, clasping his face gently in her hands, feeling her own forearms touch his bare chest as she leaned forward and forced him to look into her eyes. Finally his gaze met her own. She could still feel the anxiety that constantly enveloped him. The continuous fear and second-guessing the world that even here covered him like a shroud.

Asuka let her features soften and felt a small smile form unbidden on her lips. Even now he still doubted…

"So…" She began. "What'chya thinking?"

"I…." Shinji began uncertainly. "…nothing."

"You know, once upon a time, I would have believed that. Not anymore. Tell me."

He held her gaze, but the answer seemed to be still trapped inside him.

"Let me guess." Asuka finally said. "You think that tomorrow morning I'm gonna wake up, see you next to me like this, remember what we just did and completely _lose my shit_, don't you?

Shinji swallowed loudly, but his eyes never left hers, nor did he attempt to answer.

"You're scared that I'm going to hate you." She continued. "That I'm going to yell and scream, call you a pervert, just like Asuka Langley Soryu _always_ does. You're terrified that now your fragile little world is going to come crashing down around you. Aren't you?"

Finally, Shinji nodded.

Asuka sighed heavily. "Has it ever occurred to you, that just maybe this is something that I've wanted all along too? That maybe I'm actually _happy_ that after all of this time we've finally done this?"

Shinji's eyes widened. "_Really_?" He answered in a whisper. "You… you always wanted this too?"

Asuka did not speak. Clasping his face even more firmly between her hands she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. Shinji closed his eyes, the cares falling away from his face. Softly Asuka slid her right hand away from his cheek. Then she curled up her middle fingers and flicked him squarely between the eyes.

"Oww!" He exclaimed, his eyes opening in surprise and his hand going to his forehead.

"Let me make one thing _perfectly clear_, Third!" Asuka said with a grin. "This is _not_ a fluke!"

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter 12<strong>

So, this chapter is actually only the first half of the one that I had originally planned. Not to mention it ended up taking a very different direction than the original chapter 12 was going to.

This part kind of grew into something much larger. The upside being that the next half/chapter shouldn't be too far off.

Some might think that Shinji might have been a little out of character in his altercation with the drunk. I disagree. From his actions in the series I feel that he can be brave and resourceful, especially if pushed beyond a certain point. Also, his relationship with a certain time-travelling redhead has changed him more than even he would admit, methinks.

I apologize again for the delay. Sometimes life just conspires to derail your best intentions. Further updates will occur in a much more timely fashion!

Thanks for reading!

Cheers

Donderkind.


	13. Touch, Pause,

_So... long time no see!_

_Apologies for the huge delay in updating. Lets just say that a case of writer's-block that was almost like a physical force had me in its grip. Not much of an excuse, I know, but its the truth!_

_Also, this chapter, until about two hours ago, was a smidge over 12,000 words. It just felt a tad unwieldy, so I've split it into two parts that will now be Chapters _**13**_ and _**14_. _**_So this will __be a two part upda__te._**_  
><em>**

**Unbroken**

**Chapter 13**

**Touch… Pause…**

* * *

><p>Asuka groggily returned to the waking world to find herself all alone, lying sprawled out in a cold and empty bed.<p>

"What the…" She muttered blearily as she propped herself up on her elbows. The small room was dimly lit by the shaft of early morning sunlight that pierced the curtains. It revealed that she was indeed alone in the uncharacteristically untidy and dishevelled looking bedroom.

Flopping back down onto the pillow with a loud exhalation of breath, she took stock of her situation. Sure, she was definitely alone in there, but the current state of the bedclothes, and the fact that she was undeniably nude under the thin sheet that currently covered her, assured her that what she had thought had happened, had _actually_ happened.

"And now I wake up _alone_. What a fucking cliché!" She groaned to the ceiling. "Where the hell is Shinji, anyway?" She rolled on her side and sat up on the side of the bed, tossing the sheet aside in annoyance. "_Ach_, _Gott_…" She muttered at a frightening thought that struck her. "That baka better not have run away again!"

The sudden sound of the muffled clattering of dishes quelled her momentary panic. Quickly covering herself with a short silk dressing gown, she smoothed down her ruffled hair and threw open the bedroom door.

An enticing smell greeted her nostrils as she stood there yawning hugely. Shinji, it seemed, was cooking something in the apartment's tiny kitchen, and it smelled glorious! She shuffled towards the bathroom and quickly shut the door behind her. After finishing up she washed her hands at the basin and splashed some water on her face to wake herself up. Patting her face dry she looked, as if for the first time, at the young woman facing her in the mirror. Did she look any different? Her own image frowned slightly back at her as she examined her reflection minutely.

No. Nothing appeared different about the young, healthy looking teenager in the mirror. No outward signs showed themselves of the change that she felt had taken place within her psyche. Her image smiled back at her. What did she expect? A glowing neon sign proclaiming that she and Shinji Ikari had finally crossed the final threshold to intimacy? She thought about how long she had actually wanted this, even as far back as the early days at the cabin in the wilderness she had craved for Shinji to hold her, to comfort her, to love her. '_Hell,_' she thought, '_Probably even before that_.' Once, in one of those cold and desolate nights in the old cabin, she had come close to using him that way. Now she was glad that she hadn't given into loneliness and despair back then. '_This was right_.' She thought to herself. She could see her own reflection now staring back at her approvingly.

A small snort escaped her lips. "_Ikuhayo Asuka_," She said ironically to the mirror. "Stop being so goddamn ridiculous!"

Quickly brushing her hair Asuka checked herself out in the mirror one last time. With a decisive nod she opened the bathroom door and stepped out into the living area of the apartment. She could just make out the Third Child standing in the kitchen with his back to her. The faint humming that he made as he busied himself about his task made her grin to herself as she walked forward.

Shinji was still standing at the stove-top with his back to her as she reached the table, pulled a chair out and sat on it. He turned at the noise and smiled at her, before blushing and returning quickly to the pan in front of him.

Asuka sat and waited expectantly. In short order a small, steaming pile of pancakes were placed in front of her by the still silent Third Child. "Oh boy, these smell good!" The redhead murmured as she smothered them in syrup and began shovelling them into her mouth.

"Theth are delithious, Thinji!" Asuka said, her mouth still crammed with food. Quickly she finished chewing what was in her mouth and swallowed. "I can even tell you how long it's been since I had pancakes! Thank you!"

"Y-You're welcome, Asuka." Shinji replied, his eyes still not meeting hers.

The German girl put down her cutlery onto her plate with a clang and looked at him. "What are you doing, Shinji?" She said searchingly.

"W-What do you mean?" He replied, blushing. "I-I'm making breakfast."

"I mean, why are you acting like this, _again_?" The redhead replied, still not picking up the knife and fork. "Why can't you even look me in the eye?"

"I-It's just 'cos…" He stammered. "I didn't want to upset… Ummm… I just want to make sure that you didn't think…"

"Shinji." Asuka interrupted.

"Yes?"

"What did I say to you last night?"

"Th-that…"

"You _belong_ to _me_ now, Shinji Ikari! _Forever_." Asuka said forcefully. "Not even Third Impact will change that, do you understand?"

"Uh-huh." He replied with a nod.

"So, let me ask you just one thing. Are you _happy_ about that?"

"Y-Yes, of course I am." Shinji stammered. "I've wanted to be with you ever since… we'll ever since I met you. I've never felt like this before…I- I've never felt this…_happy_ I guess. I'm just scared that I'll do something that will make you realise that you've made a terrible mistake! "

"_Sheesh_… you are such a pessimist! What do I have to do to convince you? You sleep with the most exotic and beautiful girl in all Japan and you're _scared_ of being too happy about it?" Asuka said incredulously. "I don't know what else I have to do, _Third_! I'm starting to feel that I'm sounding like a broken record here! What is it going to take to convince you?"

"Convince him of what?" Came a voice from behind her. Before she even turned around she could see Shinji pale as he looked over her shoulder at the unexpected intruder on their private conversation.

"Uh… Hi Misato..." Shinji stammered.

"Morning Shinji, morning Asuka." Their guardian said, stifling a yawn as she walked stiffly into the kitchen area, a purple satin dressing gown wrapped around her body. Much like Asuka, one of her arms, or what was visible of it protruding from the gown, was swathed in bandages, also there was a cut above her right eyebrow that was held together with a couple of butterfly strips.

"Hi Misato." Asuka said brightly, hiding her embarrassment at the close call. "What time did you get in last night?"

"Ugh… two-thirty… _Two goddamned thirty!"_ Their guardian repeated in disgust. "The Commander wouldn't let me leave until all of the damage reports and requisition requests were completed and logged."

"That's terrible." Shinji said sympathetically.

"Yeah, well… That's what they pay me the big bucks for!" Misato said sourly. "Ooooh! Pancakes!" She exclaimed more brightly as Shinji placed another plate in front of her. "My favourite!"

As their guardian commenced the demolition of her large stack of golden pancakes, Asuka and Shinji shared a knowing smile.

"So…" Misato asked, finally lifting her head from over her plate. "What's the big occasion?"

"Huh?" Shinji said.

"W-What are you talking about Misato?" Asuka answered in surprise.

"You know… all this." Their guardian said, gesturing wildly in the air with her spork. "Shinji making pancakes for breakfast on a school day, you two sitting there making gooey-eyes at each other. If I didn't know better I'd think that…"

"Be careful what you say, Misato…" Asuka interrupted mock-threateningly. "In your injured state you could easily say something that might accidentally make this spork fly up and embed itself in your eye!"

"Bah… You're so mean!" Misato replied.

"You don't even know the half of it!" Asuka answered.

The conversation trailed off as Misato once again launched into her plate of pancakes. The two pilots shared a knowing look across the small kitchen.

"Oh, by the way, Asuka…" Misato suddenly interrupted. "I hate to interrupt you two making lovey-eyes at each other, but Ritsuko wants you at NERV by 0900 for a full medical exam and work up."

"Are you _serious_?" Asuka exclaimed. "What does that grizzled old harpy want _this_ time? I swear that she's got some weird fetish for probing and prodding me whenever the fancy takes her!"

"Now now Asuka." Misato replied placatingly. "Ritsuko needs to make sure that you haven't been harmed by the last battle. Or have you forgotten the fact that you were nearly absorbed by the Angel before Shinji saved you?"

"Humph… stupidweirdecchiJapanesefetishpervertevilscientistdoctorhentaischlampe….." Asuka muttered to herself sourly as she stomped off to the shower to get ready.

"What about me, Misato?" Shinji asked. "Do I need to go into see Doctor Akagi as well?"

"Nope." She replied. "Only lover-girl is required for the time being. _You_ get to go to school! Aren't you lucky?"

"Uh…Yeah. I guess."

* * *

><p>The examination room still smelled of stale cigarettes and disinfectant. Asuka squirmed in her seat, trying to find the most comfortable position with her bare skin against the cold vinyl.<p>

"Hold still, please." The blonde doctor said flatly as she drew a large syringe full of dark red blood from the arm of the prone girl.

The redhead bit down on any scathing comments that she might have had for the head of Project E, figuring that she wasn't exactly in a position of strength as she was. Also she was hoping to get the uncomfortable and more than a little humiliating procedure over and done with and hopefully get back to Shinji's side as quickly as she could. However, her patience was beginning to wear thin as Dr Akagi placed the vial of blood into some kind of analyser and sat down at her computer terminal. She then typed away at her report without looking up or even acknowledging the German girl in any way.

Finally she could hold her tongue no longer. "So, no mousey little lackey to watch me being violated this time?" She asked tartly. "Or don't you want any witnesses?"

The scientist turned to her with a blank expression. Asuka was surprised to notice the sunken cheeks and baggy eyes of the usually impeccably presented woman. She held the redhead's gaze for a few seconds before returning to her screen with a grunt.

"_Fine_." Asuka griped petulantly. At the same time she was puzzled at the lack of fire from her former verbal sparring partner. Nothing that she could think of could account for the change that was evident in the older woman.

After what felt like over an hour to the redhead the doctor stood up and continued her examination. First nearly blinding her with bright lights being shone in both of her eyes, sticking various instruments into her ears, nose, mouth and finally a long and uncomfortable examination of her more private areas.

Eventually the machine off to the side gave two long beeps and the doctor straightened up and snapped off her blue nitrile gloves. Without a word she returned to typing more data into her computer terminal, the harsh light once again bathing her tired face in an unhealthy glow.

More time passed. Asuka sat seething, and squirming uncomfortably, in her chair, gooseflesh appearing all over her bare skin as the air-conditioning continued to blow cool air over her. Finally she could hold her tongue no longer.

"Ah.., Excuse me Doc…" She began.

Ritsuko looked up at her tiredly; the redhead could have sworn that the scientist appeared to be surprised to see her still lying there.

"Um... yes Asuka?" She said with a small frown. She finally seemed to gather her thoughts. "You may dress."

"Gee, thanks _Doctor_ Akagi. You're a credit to your Hypocritic Oath!"

"It's _Hippocratic_ Oath, actually." Ritsuko said distractedly.

"I _know_ what it is." Asuka replied acerbically as she began pulling on her underwear. "So…." She continued after finally slipping her yellow dress on over her head and sitting back down opposite the doctor. "What's the damage, Doc? Am I gonna start sprouting antennae? Or maybe develop radioactive breath that can level a city block? That might be kinda cool."

"Hmm?" Was the reply. "Erm... no, Asuka." She said distractedly. "There no sign of any contamination from the Angel. You're as healthy as anyone has any right to be in this day and age."

"Thank you, that's _very_ comforting. May I go now?"

"Just one more thing." Ritsuko replied, reaching into a small refrigerator by her desk and pulling out a small ampoule of clear liquid. Deftly she broke the top off and drew out the contents using a syringe she retrieved from her desk drawer.

"Hold out your arm please, and try to relax."

Asuka, well used to constant needles and inoculations from the time she was four, did as she was told. She winced slightly as the needle was pushed into the top of her left arm.

"Thank you." Ritsuko said. "You may go."

"_Finally_!" Asuka replied theatrically. "What was that anyway?"

"Does it matter?" The blonde woman replied, removing her glasses and rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Probably not. Just interested to know what chemicals, or god knows what else, are being pumped into me on a daily basis." Asuka said lightly. "Call it human curiosity."

"Very well." The doctor said with a weary sigh. "If you must know what I just injected into you is a newly approved for human testing, long acting, contraceptive. Current testing shows it to have at least a six month period of efficacy in non-human subjects."

"_Contraceptive_!" Asuka sputtered, her face heating with embarrassment. "Why would I need…"

"Now, now Asuka." The white coated woman said. "There's no point thinking that you can hide something like this from me." The blonde doctor threw the empty syringe and ampoule into the waste. "Considering the current state of world affairs it really wouldn't do for us to have a pregnant pilot, now would it?"

The German girl's mouth hung open and she was temporarily rendered speechless. Doctor Akagi, on the other hand, was wearing the first smile that Asuka had seen on the woman for the whole session.

"Just one thing, Asuka." She said, still wearing the same tired smile.

"Wh-what?" was the stammered reply.

"I thought that you said you would come to me for advice on, how did you so elegantly put it? Oh that's right; '_fucking an Ikari_'?"

Asuka was glad she was still seated as she felt as if she surely would have fallen if she wasn't. She exhaled loudly and leaned on the table in front of her for support as the blood pounded in her ears. "Yeah… um… well I…"

"Don't bother." Ritsuko interrupted with a weary sigh. "Anything I could tell you about the Ikaris, or anyone else for that matter, would be more in the form of a sad and cautionary tale about expectation versus reality. Shinji seems like a nice boy. I don't think that you'll need any of the advice that someone like_ me_ could possibly give you."

Asuka was nonplussed by the other woman's candour as well as the seemingly defeated aura that surrounded the good doctor. She had never seen the great Ritsuko Akagi anything other than strong and in control. Indeed the two of them had butted heads more often than not since Asuka's return. Now the life and energy seemed to be draining visibly from the other woman. She knew that Ritsuko's end was one of bitterness and betrayal at the hands of both Gendo Ikari and her mother. Now, for the first time, she felt some sympathy towards the faux blonde. Possibly the most intelligent person alive in the world at that time brought so low by her hunger for acceptance and love.

"Uh…" Asuka stammered. "Th-thanks doc…"

"You're welcome, Asuka." The blonde scientist shook herself, seeming to suddenly collect her thoughts. "Well now..." She said, brushing distractedly at her white coat. "Look at me still talking when there's science to do…" She said with a false brightness. "Run along young lady, I've got more important things to worry about than your love life."

"So…" Asuka said, meeting the tired green eyes of Ritsuko Akagi. "I-I suppose you'll tell Gendo all about this?"

Ritsuko grimaced. "Knowing him, he already knows… If he doesn't… he won't hear it from me. Now, run along." She said once more. "And come back to see me in six months for your booster."

"Th-thank you… Doctor Akagi." Asuka said breathlessly, before opening the door and fleeing from the suddenly tiny office.

Ritsuko lit a cigarette, drew deeply from it, then let the dense smoke curl up from her lips into the stale office air. "Of course, six months from now," She said to the empty room. "It's _highly_ unlikely that I'll be here to give it to you, or that _you'll_ still be around to need it."

Stubbing out the cigarette she returned to her computer monitor and was soon lost in the labyrinth of reports and data that the MAGI constantly streamed across her portal.

* * *

><p>She wiped the mirror clear of the steam and condensation that poured out of the nearby shower block.<p>

Asuka splashed more water on her face from the washbasin. She had headed straight to the locker rooms to try to compose herself after her medical exam with Doctor Akagi. She looked in the mirror to see a wide-eyed redhead staring back at her, her face still red and blotchy looking from the heat of her embarrassment. With her level of distraction she failed to notice that the sound of the running shower had ceased.

"_Come on_, Asuka!" She said to her reflection. "Get it together!"

"Pilot Soryu."

"_Aieee_!" Asuka squealed in surprise as she spun around.

Standing across the change room from her was the First Child, still dripping water from her shower onto the tiled floor and holding a towel in her right hand.

"Pilot Soryu." Rei repeated. "You are in distress?"

"Geez!" Asuka exclaimed, trying to recover her composure. "What the hell is it with you and the casual nudity?"

"I fail to understand what…"

"Well, _obviously_!" Asuka interrupted. "Just put some freaking clothes on for god's sake! Sheesh! We're living in a society here! There are _basic_ rules and standards that we need to abide by!"

"Very well, if it will help to assuage your discomfort." Rei answered as she began to dry herself off and put on her school uniform.

The Second Child let out a heavy sigh as she continued to dry off her own face and hands. "_Why me?_" She muttered.

"Are you not happy with what you already have?" The First Child asked from across the room. "You would appear to have much that others would covet."

"What are you on about, Wondergirl?" Asuka replied, turning around to face the blue haired First Child.

"You take great pride in piloting Eva, you foster a large following of admiring students at our school and you have also become emotionally and, I suspect, physically close to Pilot Ikari in recent times." Rei replied. "Are these not things in which you would find happiness, Pilot Soryu?"

Asuka's eyes narrowed. "So _that's_ what this is really about!"

The Blue haired girl finished fastening her dress and frowned at the question. "I do not understand."

"You _like_ Shinji, don't you?" The redhead said accusingly.

The blue haired girl tilted her head to one side and seemed to consider this for several moments. "Yes. I believe that I do indeed '_like_' Pilot Ikari, as you put it. His wellbeing is important to me."

'So!" Asuka said, pointing a finger at the other pilot. "You're jealous of me and Shinji, of what we have. Aren't you?"

"No." Rei finally pronounced after another lengthy pause. "What you have with Pilot Ikari would not be… suitable for me. I merely hope and wish for his continued happiness. That is all."

"Really? Is that _really_ all?"

"Of course." Rei replied. "Is that not enough?"

Asuka gave a short, but relieved, laugh. "If you really do care about him, then for god's sake I've told you before, call him Shinji!"

"Would that make him happy?" Rei asked with a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"Yes, Wondergirl, I do believe that it would make him happy! It would also piss me off much less if you did so as well!"

The blue haired girl nodded. "Then I shall try to remember to do as you ask."

"Thank you" Asuka replied with a smile. "You know something, Wondergirl…" She continued. "One day… you and I _might_ just realise that we have more in common that you'd think!" The redhead stuck out her hand towards Rei's own. Much to Asuka's annoyance the blue haired First Child merely stared back at her, expressionless.

"Hmph." Asuka said withdrawing her hand. "Today, however, is _not_ that day."

The two pilots were still staring awkwardly at each other when the Angel Alert siren began to blare loudly above them, and throughout the facility.

* * *

><p>Asuka watched critically as Unit 02's maintenance crew scrambled over the red giant, making sure that the Evangelion was ready for battle. Coolant lines were disconnected and heavy steel gantries swung away from the red mechanoid's colossal form. Standing just a few metres away a coverall wearing tech operated the joysticks of a portable control panel. He expertly guided the sleek white entry plug down from its cradle and towards the small set of metal steps that she would mount in just a few minutes to enter the plug herself.<p>

She heard footsteps approaching her from behind. Even in his soft plug suited feet there was no mistaking the Third Child's walk as he trudged across the honeycomb mesh of the gangway.

"It's just not fair!" He grumbled as he stopped beside her.

The redhead continued to watch the progress of her entry plug. Not that she was worried about it. Hayashi was a consummate professional. Her whole team took great pride in the work that they did maintaining 'Akai-chan' as they affectionately referred to the red Eva. She smiled to herself. It was in good hands.

"Now now, Shinji-kun." Asuka said, finally turning and putting her plug-suited hands on either side of his face. "Don't pout. I'll pound this stupid Angel into the dirt and be back in time for dinner!"

"Yeah… but.."

"But _what_?" She interrupted with a raised eyebrow. "You think that I can't take down one measly Angel without big manly Shinji riding in to save the day?

"No… but.."

"Think very carefully about the next few syllables that you utter, Third Child!" Asuka said with mock ire.

"I know you're the best Pilot, Asuka." Shinji paused briefly as the maintenance crew's leading hand approached them with Unit 02's ready report for Asuka to approve. She nodded at the man, before quickly scanning the screen, then she signed the pad of his handset, before handing it back to him with a smile. "I-I'd just feel better if I was up there with you too."

Asuka leaned forward and planted a fervent kiss on his lips. "You heard Misato." She said. "Your father has ordered Unit 01 to be kept on active standby. Wondergirl and I will sortie this time. My big brave Shinji will just have to be content with the girls getting the glory this time around!""

"B-But my father wouldn't even hear me out…" Shinji said, ignoring her attempt at humour. "I mean, you're injured and Rei… Unit 00 hasn't even been fully repaired yet! He's just punishing me for defying him in the last battle…"

"Shinji…"

"He's only doing it because he's pissed at me because I spoke back to him in the last battle!" He continued, pounding the railing with his fist. "He's putting you and Rei in danger just to teach me a lesson! How can he be so cruel? I just want…"

"Oh my god!" She interrupted melodramatically. "You mean that your father's being an asshole? _Stop the fucking presses_!"

"Haha…" Shinji gave a strained laugh. "Yeah…I know... but…"

"_Everybody_ here knows that it's just his petty way of getting at you. So fucking what? In case you might have forgotten I am Asuka Langley Soryu. This Angel will be pâté before it ever knows what's hit it!"

"I-I hope so, Asuka."

"I know so, Shinji." She replied. "You think that I'd let something so clichéd as dying in battle just after finally sleeping with you ever happen to me? I mean, just what kind of girl do you think that I am?" She asked with a grin.

"Yeah, I guess that you're right!" Shinji answered with an endearing blush and a much less certain smile of his own.

"You know it!" Asuka said launching into a fierce embrace of the startled young man. Quickly he returned her hug and the two teenagers stood there for over a minute until the sheepish interruption of the foreman, letting them know that Unit 02's plug was in position for her to enter.

She gave Shinji a quick but passionate kiss. "We'll continue this when I get back!" She said meaningfully after finally breaking off. "I've got an Angel to go kill!"

With a bound she ran up the steps to her plug and with a quick backward glance and a wave she was lost from view to the bewildered Third Child.

Despite her words of confidence, he still couldn't shake the feeling of apprehension that was lodged in his stomach.

* * *

><p>End Chapter 13<p> 


	14. Engage

_Second part of two part update._

**Unbroken**

**Chapter 14**

**Engage!**

* * *

><p>"<em>Let me make one thing perfectly clear, Third! This is not a fluke!"<em>

The redhead smiled to herself at the warmth of that memory.

"_Asuka! Focus! What the hell is wrong with you_?"

She was broken out of her reverie by the tension filled voice of her guardian and commanding officer. The scathing reply that she had formed was quashed before it started by the almost continuous rumble of approaching explosions. Which could be felt even through the massive standing frame of her Evangelion.

"_Rei_," She heard Misato's voice say urgently over the communication channel. "_Ready the sniper-rifle; on my mark_!"

"_Yes, Ma'am_." She heard the First Child reply calmly.

'_Too goddamn calmly' _Asuka thought to herself irritably_. _

"_Asuka_?" The Major's tense face appeared in a window before her. Asuka could see the sling that her guardian still wore on her arm.

"Yeah?"

"_Don't_…" Misato seemed to stumble over the words. "_Don't get_…" Yet another awkward pause hung heavily in the air. "_Just be careful, okay_?"

"Yeah… careful." Asuka reply dripped with sarcasm. "That'll be sure to beat that nasty old Angel! How the hell do you think I'm going to defeat "_The most powerful Angel we've yet seen_" by being goddamn careful?"

Misato winced slightly under the redhead's scorn, before her expression hardened. "_Asuka_…" She began warningly.

The explosion that cut off the Major's reply was far more deafening than Asuka had remembered.

"_Scheiße!_" She swore as the world shook violently around her.

"_It blasted through all twenty-two layers of special armour in one hit_!" The glasses wearing tech, the one with the name she could never remember, screamed ridiculously over the open channel.

'_No shit_…' She thought grimly as she watched the black cloud of smoke and debris billowing outward and down from the Geo-front's domed ceiling. '_Tell me something I don't already know_.'

Instinctively Asuka ducked in her entry plug as what had seconds before been a sizeable area of Tokyo 03's Central Business District began to rain down throughout the Geofront in a lethal hail of concrete, glass and steel. If it wasn't for the LCL she was sure that her face and body would be slick with sweat. She remembered just how powerful this Angel was, just how easily it has disabled Unit 02 and cast her aside like an afterthought. '_Not this time_.'

She hefted the enormous progressive axe in the Evangelion's hands as she gazed out of the cockpit, her mouth unconsciously set in a fierce grin. At least she had managed one small victory already. After much arguing, pleading, threatening and god help her even reasoning with Misato, Asuka had finally got her way with the weapons fit out of the two Eva units. It was markedly different from the previous engagement with this, the most physically powerful of all of the Angels. It needed to be, she mused. Those oversized pop-guns were worse than useless last time.

She turned and looked back at the still damaged Unit 00. The blue Evangelion was lying prone, partially obscured behind a small rise in the landscape of the Geo-Front. The enormous bipod supported barrel of the Evangelion sized sniper rifle protruding in front of it as its pilot drew a bead on the epicentre of the explosion.

"This time I'm ready for you, _Engel_." Asuka snarled. There would be no humiliation and easy defeat this time. The Asuka Langley Soryu that had faced down this Angel, the aggressive but fragile girl that had fallen before the might of Zeruel, was gone. Burnt away in the bloody crucible of Impact. That girl was as dead as the world that she had left behind her on that desolate shore.

"_Ikuhayo, Asuka_." Asuka muttered to herself as she gripped the control yokes even more tightly, causing Unit 02's hands to flex around the enormous carbon-titanium shaft of the axe. Smaller pieces of debris were still falling around her, but she paid them no heed. Her gaze was locked on centre the massive dome of the Geo-front.

Waiting.

When the dust finally cleared she narrowed her eyes as the impossibly massive body of the 14th Angel breeched the jagged rent in the high ceiling. There was no more time for worrying about the million trivial issues and annoyances of daily life or even the success or failure of her attempts to affect the course of Impact and human evolution.

There was only now.

She was Asuka Langley Soryu. She would not, _could not,_ be defeated again.

The remote gun and missile emplacements that lined the Geofront erupted in noise and flames as they attempted to slow the Angel's progress by launching every piece of ordinance they could in its direction. Hundreds of explosive concussions shook the air around the Evas as each projectile impacted futilely against the giant's A-T field before ever touching its squat and ugly body.

Asuka, and indeed all of those watching, knew that the best that this show of strength could ever hope to achieve was to distract the target, even then only for a moment at best. But it was in the nature of humanity to throw all it could into the fray, she could hardly blame the officer in charge of the gun crews for his enthusiasm.

As suddenly as the barrage started, it stopped. Giant extractor fans built into the Geofront walls sucked the clearing smoke away from the battlefield as the 14th Angel moved inexorably forward.

Asuka concentrated all of her will on neutralising the enemy's A-T Field. Slowly the behemoth moved forward. Its bulk hanging improbably in the early evening air.

"_Engage_!" Misato shouted over the coms channel.

With an ear-splitting concussion the damaged Unit 00 fired the Evangelion-sized rifle. The armour-piercing projectile, shedding its sabot as it exited the barrel, roared across the Geofront. Asuka's Eva-assisted vision helped her trace its trajectory as it screeched towards the target. For a fraction of a second the force against her own A-T Field grew in intensity, before the blast of the shell exploding harmlessly against the Angel rocked the Geo-Front.

"_Scheiße!"_ Asuka swore as she felt Unit 02 being buffeted by the shock wave. "_Fat_ lot of good that did!"

Before she could say anything more Unit 00 quickly cycled the bolt of its rifle, firing two more rounds in rapid succession at the Angel. Again, despite Asuka's own efforts to neutralise it, they also impacted harmlessly, to the Angel at least, against the A-T field of the target.

"_Dammit_!" She heard Misato curse over the coms. "_We can't seem to touch this thing!_"

"_Energy spike coming from target!"_ One of the bridge crew screamed, the sound of his voice filling her plug.

"_Rei, Look out!_" Misato yelled as the Angel's eyes began to glow white and a high pitched keening wail filled the air.

"_Goddamn Wondergirl is a sitting target with that ridiculous rifle!_" The thought flashed in and out of Asuka's mind in an instant. Without a further consideration she clenched the control yokes and willed the red Evangelion forward.

"_Asuka_, _no_!" Misato yelled in vain at her over the open channel.

But there was no reaching the red juggernaut or its pilot. Large chunks of rock and debris flew up behind it, its feet digging into the soil of the Geofront as it pushed forward at ever increasing speed.

The Angel, its eyes now beginning to glow ominously, appeared to pay the approaching Evangelion little heed as it focussed on the still prone Unit 00. The blue Evangelion reloaded another round into its rifle and fired yet again, causing Asuka to instinctively duck as the sonic boom of the shell passing overhead rocked her entry plug. Once again the round impacted against the Angel's AT-Field causing it no discernable damage at all.

Misato, back on the bridge, watched the giant screen in a mixture of hope and horror as Unit 02 continued its headlong charge. The red Eva moved incredibly quickly, progressive axe held high, pushing headlong towards the floating bulk of the 14th Angel. The enemy seemed to have its attention fixated on Unit 00 and its continued attacks. Maybe there was a slim chance Asuka could get though. Maybe they wouldn't need Shinji and Unit 01 to get involved. '_Just maybe_…'

The keening wail coming from the target grew louder and louder. It reached an ear-splitting crescendo as it sent a devastating blast at the prone Unit 00. The earth around the blue Evangelion seemed to distort and liquefy beneath it before the whole embankment was transformed into a rapidly expanding cloud of dust and smoke crowned by a cross-shaped pillar of white fire.

"_Rei_!" Misato screamed without even realising. None of the other personnel manning the bridge payed her exclamation any mind as they all stood in transfixed horror at the sight.

"What's the pilot's status?"

"Life signs nominal, though it appears that she's unconscious, Ma'am." Maya replied, her voice cracking under the strain. "Unit 00 showing heavy damage to 64 out of 108 sectors. Life support is stable."

"Roger." Misato replied, as long as Rei was stable she was safer inside Unit 00 at that moment. Anyway, to send recovery teams out at this time would be sending those personnel to their probable deaths. "_Come on_ Asuka…" She said fervently as she watched the Red Eva close on the Angel.

Unit 02 was almost within striking distance of the enemy now, the progressive axe held high to strike at its squat and ugly torso. Misato watched in desperate hope as Asuka closed the distance. Maybe if she could hit before the Angel could strike again with its energy beam there was some hope.

The 14th Angel's arms unfurled on either side of its body. With impossible speed the right appendage shot out straight towards the red Evangelion.

"_Asuka_!" Misato shouted at the screen.

Amazingly, almost as if its pilot had foreseen that the Angel would attack in this manner, Unit 02 ducked and rolled beneath the arm, leaving it whizzing mere centimetres above its body. Staggering to its feet, with vegetation and debris still clinging to its body from the roll, the Evangelion regained its feet and once more continued its advance.

"_Kill you_!" Asuka's cry as she swung the progressive axe resounded over the speakers on the bridge.

There was a reverberating concussion as the blade met with the Angel's hexagonal AT-Field. Sparks flew out from the point of impact and bounced off the ground and structures around them. Several of them igniting fires in the nearby forest.

"_Arrrrrrgh_!" The Second Child screamed as she willed her Eva's AT-Field to neutralize her opponent's field. Slowly the axe head began sinking towards the Angels body. Slowly Asuka could feel her enemy's force weakening under the continuous pressure that she exerted against it. Slowly she felt that maybe she could beat this Angel. Maybe things would be different this time.

"_High energy reading from within target_!" Came the cry over the communication channel.

"_Scheiße, _not now!_"_ She cried out as she felt the pressure against her own AT-Filed continue to give way. At the same time what could only be described as eye-holes within the Angel's mask began to glow with new intensity.

"_Asuka, Lookout_!" She heard Misato yell.

"Almost there!" She screamed in reply.

In an instant the AT-Field in front of her vanished and the progressive axe, robbed of its barrier, slammed into the body of the Angel, leaving a deep scar on its carapace, though frustratingly failing to penetrate any deeper.

"_Dieee_!" She screamed as she swung the axe once more, putting all of the force she and her Eva could muster into the strike, but before she could land the killing blow the world around her turned white hot as the Angel blasted her Unit with the full force of its energy beam. She could feel, through her Evangelion, the searing heat as well as the impact of trees and boulders hitting her as Unit 02 was flung flailing across the Geo-front, landing in the centre of the lake with a massive splash and cloud of steam that joined the thickening pall of smoke from the burning forest.

Misato looked on aghast as Unit 02 failed to re-emerge from beneath the water.

"_Asuka_!"

"_Misato_!" Suddenly a new voice was heard over the speakers. She had forgotten that Shinji was hearing and seeing all of this as well as he sat waiting inside his Eva, which was still held on standby. "_You have to let me fight_!"

"Shinji, I…"

"_Please, Misato_!" The Third Child interrupted her, his voice choked and desperate. "_She's being killed out there; you have to let me go!"_

"Denied." Came the flat tone of the Commander from above where Misato was standing, every face on the bridge turned to look at that distant figure as he spoke for the first time during the battle. "Unit 01 will remain on standby until the Angel breaches the fourth defensive barrier. There is no point wasting further assets on a battlefield where the enemy has such a clear advantage. Would you not agree, Major?"

"_But, Father_…"

"Major?" The Commander repeated, ignoring his son's pleading.

"Sir, I..." Misato began.

"_Goddammit, Shinji_!" Came an angry but welcome voice over the coms. "_Stop always trying to be the big the big damn hero all of the freaking time! I can beat this Angel without your help, easy!"_

"_Asuka!"_

Groaning the redhead forced the Evangelion back to its feet and clear of the water, shaking her head roughly as she cleared her vision.

"_Asuka, are you alright_?"

"Never better!" Asuka snarled as she faced the enemy once more, now from two hundred metres away. Unfortunately she had lost the axe, she noticed with a second's regret. Well, there was no point worrying about that. With a thought she opened the right pauldron and grabbed the progressive knife, the Eva's touch activating the weapon as it began to vibrate keenly.

Though her body ached all over the Second Child ignored the pain and once again charged towards the Angel's massive bulk. Her unit closing the distance in mere seconds. Once again the Angel sent its razor-sharp arms flying out at her. This time she was knew what she had to do. Ducking just as it reached her, she grabbed the arm tightly in her Eva's left hand. "Nnng…" She grunted as the hot, sharp pain lanced through her own hand. She had to force herself to keep hold and focus to distract herself from how much it actually hurt. Blood was pouring from Unit 02's fist as it clenched around the Angel's fully extended arm.

"_Eat this_!" She yelled as she pulled the Angel closer to her, ignoring how her flesh screamed at the sensation of the arm cutting deeper into what felt like her own flesh and bones. She figured that while she had it like this the Angel wouldn't be able to use its AT-Field to defend itself. Screaming to distract herself from the pain she swung the prog-knife with her right arm and wedged it into what could only be described as the Angel's shoulder joint, where its paper thin arm articulated from its squat torso.

Unit 02's feet dug deeply into the earth as its foe tried to pull itself free from its grasp, but Asuka would have none of that. Wedging the knife deeper she twisted and levered at the gaping wound the knife had made in what was one of the few vulnerable parts of Angel.

"_High energy reading detected within target_!"

"No, not now!" Asuka cried, pushing the knife even deeper into the Angel.

As if in answer to her plea she felt a sickening sensation as the knife finally cut through the final angelic sinew and the Angel's arm separated from its body. Bright Angelic blood sprayed from the wound as a high keening wail rent the air. Freeing her own bloodied hand from the appendage Asuka forced Unit 02 into a crouch as she readied for the next assault. She could feel her enemy's fury at being wounded and could once again see the ominous glow from its empty eye sockets.

"_Asuka, lookout_!" Misato called out, rather redundantly Asuka thought to herself as she readied herself for the inevitable attack from her enemy.

Just as the wail from the Angel reached its deafening crescendo, Asuka forced unit 02 into a high jump into the air above it. Attempting to follow her rapidly changing trajectory, the Angel fired its beam wildly. Missing Unit 02's legs by several metres the beam blasted across the Geofront and vaporized nearly half of the water in the lake, adding yet more thick mist to the smoke and dust that was already filling the air.

Unit 02 landed feet first onto the front of the Angel, forcing it back further from its goal. Grappling it with the Evas bloodied left hand Asuka kept hacking at the 'face' of the enemy with the prog knife still held tightly in the right. Her ears rang with the blood pounding in them and she knew she was screaming incoherently as she clung to the 14th Angel and pummelled it mercilessly.

She could hear Misato yelling something at her over the comm-channel, but the Major may as well have been speaking Urdu for all the attention and comprehension that the battle-crazed German girl gave it.

Suddenly the world became white heat again as Asuka felt herself flying through the air once more, less far this time though. '_Stupid, stupid' _She cursed as she impacted the nearby wood, burning trees falling around her as she slid to a halt. She couldn't afford to lose her head in the heat of battle. This was one of the most dangerous and powerful Angels that she had faced in the past. The Angel that had nearly cost them Shinji.

At least the Angel had not been able to fully charge its energy beam before it had hit her at point blank range. That small mercy meant that she had only been sent fifty metres or so away from her enemy. Fire clinging to the Evangelion and her ears ringing loudly, she pushed her Evangelion back out of the burning wood and charged back at the Angel. Her prog-knife now gone as well, her only extant plan being to rip the Angel to shreds with her bare hands.

The 14th Angel just hung there in the air, just as impossibly as always. It seemed to be regarding her almost impassively. As if it was mildly curious about this ferocious little insect that it had to keep swatting away.

'_Well_, _this little insect has drawn some blood_.' Asuka thought to herself as she closed on the target. The Angel was still bleeding from its missing arm as well as several other wounds that she had managed to inflict on it. She grinned as she surveyed the damage she had already done.

"Now you are mine, _Arschloch_!" She cried as the Eva broke into a run.

Her enemy seemed to be sitting there just waiting for her to come to it. Asuka didn't care. She was going to send it back to Hell, or wherever it was that Angels came from.

Just as she closed the distance the Angel, with an almost casual grace, flicked its remaining arm out towards the advancing Eva. Unit 02 broke stride for a second as it reached out to grab the appendage.

She was just a fraction of a second too slow as the Angel's arm sliced through Unit 02's outstretched fingers and ripped into the Eva's abdominal armour plating, passing straight through and out through the back armour just as easily.

The Second Child's scream of sheer agony tore at the hearts of the listening bridge crew.

Unit 02 came to a crashing halt as the arm withdrew, the blood-stained and battered Evangelion ploughing head first into the dirt.

"_No_." Asuka coughed, tasting blood in her mouth and feeling a powerful, sickening pain in her gut. A pain that was all too familiar to her from a battle in her past, and perhaps her future, that still haunted her nightmares. "_No_!" She screamed again, clutching her stomach, the pain and anger becoming overwhelming.

She attempted the get her Eva to push itself up but her arms suddenly felt too weak to support her. Cold was radiating out from her stomach and she was finding it hard to focus her mind.

"_Kill you_…" The Second Child snarled as she tried again to push up into standing. Each movement sapping more and more of her strength. She _had_ to kill this Angel. If she didn't it would take Shinji… her Shinji. The stupid boy who had cost her so much worry and toil for so long. The boy who she had nearly killed herself twenty times over to keep alive in the frozen wilderness. The boy that she… that she…

Evangelion Unit 02 crashed again to the ground as the 14th Angel cruised past, paying no more heed to its former enemy than if it were just another part of the blasted landscape of the Geofront. Only the bloodied stump of the Eva's right hand moved, as if still trying to stop the Angel through sheer force of will.

Asuka sat curled into a ball in the entry-plug. Her hands clenched over her stomach and tears streaming and dissolving into the LCL around her as she fought the growing coldness. "_Shut down Unit 02, Eject the plug! Do it now_!" She heard Misato yelling over the coms.

"_No_." She said more weakly, her vision becoming dark as the coldness took over her body. "_Shinji_…"

* * *

><p>Loud and insistent banging brought her back to herself.<p>

The interior of the plug was pitch black. Asuka couldn't even tell if her eyes were open or closed. Her body ached abominably and her abdomen felt as if it had been sliced, mashed and beaten.

"Ahhh.." She winced as she tried to push herself up into sitting. "H-Hello?" She called weakly in reply to the banging from the outside. Voices could be heard calling out and the banging increased in intensity. After several seconds there was an angry squealing of metal as the emergency hatch of her plug finally opened and a pale light flooded the interior.

The Helmeted head and shoulders of one of NERV's Emergency Recovery Response Unit team appeared though the hatch.

"Miss Soryu?"

Asuka just nodded and the woman disappeared. Within a few minutes more people swarmed into her plug and she was strapped into a specially designed stretcher and hauled out into the rank and humid air of the Geofront.

Heavy fog and smoke still hung in the air and the floor of the underground fortress looked like a vision from a nightmare. The Command pyramid was spattered with red and showed signs of heavy damage. Several teams were still working to put out the fires that still blazed around the perimeter of the dome. The whole Geofront reeked of scorched earth and raw flesh.

Asuka stared in confusion at the blood and gore that littered the ground as far as she could make out. She tried to sit up on the stretcher to see more clearly , but was held back down by one of the paramedics.

Then she saw it.

Across the other side of the enormous dome, past where a similar team swarmed around the upended form of Unit 00, crouched in the fog was the unmistakeable silhouette of Evangelion Unit 01.

"No!" She screamed, causing intense pain to course through her viscera. "Shinji… _Noooo_!"

"Calm down, Miss." The man carrying the back of her stretcher said. "You've lost a lot of…"

"H-He can't have…" Asuka cried, the horror weighing heavily on her. "I-I was supposed to save him!"

"Miss Soryu…"

"I've fucked everything up." Asuka tried to put her hands up to her face, but they were strapped down firmly by her sides. "I've fucked it all up again!" She wailed, hot tears beginning to roll down her cheeks as she saw the collapse of her world beginning around her "Nononononono…" She moaned over and over again, feeling the hot swell of hysteria beginning to engulf her battered body as she began to struggle futilely against the restraints.

The stretcher bearer behind her nodded to the medic walking alongside and suddenly Asuka felt a small sting in her left arm. "Wha… What was…?" She slurred as her vision started to blur. She fought vainly against the growing stupor, her last sight before unconsciousness took hold of her struggling mind was the dead vacant eyes of Unit 01 mocking her from across a sea of gore.

* * *

><p>The red shore seemed more desolate than she remembered. Asuka collapsed down onto the ground, feeling the rough sand against her bare skin as she curled herself up into a ball.<p>

How long she lay there and sobbed she wasn't sure. She felt rather than heard the presence of the other standing over her, but she simply ignored it. She didn't need its holier-then-thou disapprobation to know that she had failed. Even after all she had done to try prevent it Shinji had sortied against the 14th Angel. If she couldn't even prevent him from being absorbed by Unit 01 then everything she had done, all of her plans and effort had truly been for nothing.

Maybe this was the end. Perhaps Lilith had finally brought her back to this place to rot and die for her failure? In some small way she welcomed the chance to fade away alone and unregarded. Spared the judgement of others. She was tired. Mortally and spiritually exhausted.

The presence standing over her made no move of sound. It simply waited as she sobbed quietly into her arms. Finally Asuka's tears dried up. After several more minutes she lifted her head and look up at the figure of Lilith, in the form of Ayanami Rei, that stood above her. Its crimson eyes regarded her with something akin to pity.

"Don't say it…" Asuka said in a harsh croak. "I've failed. I already know it"

Lilith regarded her for several seconds. "It seems that I have misjudged you, Soryu."

Asuka sighed deeply before pushing herself up into sitting. She stared out across the red sea. "So that's it then? You're going to leave me here to rot, all alone, aren't you? Seems strangely fitting I guess."

"You misunderstand me." Lilith replied. Her tone causing the redhead to turn her head up to face her ethereal nemesis. "Your ability to effect change in the pre-Impact world was greater than I had imagined."

"So… Wait… what?"

"I admit that we held little hope that you alone would be able to achieve more than to die heroically against either the Angels or the machinations of the Human Instrumentality Project." Lilith continued. "Thereby leading others to expose SEELE or inspiring Shinji to greater efforts and thereby prevent the atrocity of Third Impact. The path you have taken is both surprising, and yet typical of your more… emotional nature."

"I don't get it." Asuka answered with a sniff. Her annoyance building at the feeling of being used in such an underhanded and callous way.

"As I said, I… we have misjudged you." Lilith said reaching out her hand to Asuka. The German girl grabbed the offered hand and pulled herself up into standing. The blue haired being stared into her eyes and gave a small smile. Despite herself the redhead was speechless at the peace and beauty that smile radiated. "You may continue as before. I think that this will be the last time that we meet before the end, Asuka."

The use of her first name caused Asuka's eyes to widen. "I-I still don't understand what the hell is going on here!"

"Farewell, Second Child." Was the only reply she got. The shoreline slowly faded to black and a feeling of peace and healing enveloped the weary teen as she let herself drift into the darkness.

* * *

><p>beep… beep… beep… beep…<p>

The steady rhythm of the electronic monitor was her only connection to the world outside for an indeterminate period of time. When it finally ceased she almost felt a sense of loss, as if she was even more alone now with its absence.

She became vaguely aware of voices around her, their meaning and purpose beyond the grasp of her foggy mind. Firmly but gently she felt hands grab her and lift her onto another bed followed by the sensation of movement mixed with the echoes and sounds of a long corridor. Finally the movement ceased and all was quiet once more. Asuka let herself fall back into the silence.

When she came back to some form of awareness the room seemed brighter, at least as far as her groggy brain could determine from behind her closed eyelids. Her left hand was weighed down by something warm and soft. She clutched at it like a lifeline and felt its grip also tighten. Struggling towards consciousness her head tossed from side to side and she let out a weak groan in frustration. Quickly her distress was soothed by a warm hand stroking her hair and a familiar voice speaking softly to her. Once again she felt her body relaxing at the touch as the warmth and darkness, somehow a little less lonely now, retook her into its embrace.

* * *

><p>Like a deep-sea diver finally breaking the surface Asuka felt full awareness wash over her. The rattle of air-conditioning and the sounds of a busy hospital were all around her now. She could feel the steady rise and fall of her chest against the starched sheet that all too tightly held her against the mattress of the bed that she lay in. Her left hand was above the covers, though it still felt the warmth and weight of contact with another.<p>

Slowly prising her eyes open the brightness of the room assaulted her mind like a physical force.

"Unnngh…" She moaned closing her eyes again. Instead she lay there and listened for a few moments. Beneath all the usual hospital sounds there was a heavy, regular breathing. She focused in on that sound. She knew that rhythm intimately; it had guarded and comforted her nights for so long it felt like a part of her. Once again she, gingerly, opened her eyes. The stark white of the hospital ceiling, with sickly green walls either side burnt into her retinas. She lay there blinking rapidly for a good minute or so until her eyelids stopped rasping and her eyes stopped stinging.

After a couple of deep breaths she looked to her down to her hand. She actually couldn't see much of it as it was covered by another hand. She knew that hand. Almost not daring to hope Asuka turned and looked to her left. Her heart swelled with joy when she laid eyes on the somnolent form of Shinji Ikari. His head lolled on the hospital armchair that he must have pulled to her beside while she was asleep. His hair was unkempt, his clothes wrinkled and a small trail of drool trailed from his lower lip.

Asuka thought that she had never seen him look so handsome. She could see that between them was a small table with what appeared to be the remains of a meal left on it. Bracing herself she pushed her body up into sitting. Surprisingly her body felt good. She prodded her abdomen for any signs of damage or tenderness, but there was none there to feel.

"Ikuhayo, Asuka." She said, or at least tried to say. The raspy croak that came out startled her. Looking over at Shinji's partially eaten meal she quickly spied some orange juice. Reaching out her arm she picked up that plastic cup. She couldn't believe how thirsty she was! Her mouth felt like the bottom of a parrot's cage, or at least how she imagined one would be. Greedily she slurped the cup dry. It tasted so good to her.

Shinji murmured and stirred in his sleep, but didn't wake. Feeling her strength returning more and more Asuka pushed further up the bed and reached for the plastic spork that lay unused by the plate. Grinning evilly she gently unwrapped it and held it point down in her right hand. After a moment's hesitation, as if wrestling with her conscience, she gripped the implement firmly and jabbed it down into Shinji's hand.

"Waaaaaaagh!" The Third Child screamed only seconds later.

"Oh good, you're awake!" Asuka said cheerily.

"A-Asuka!" Shinji stammered, clutching his stinging hand. After rubbing the red mark on it for a few seconds he collected himself and looked up at her, his eyes staring into hers searchingly as moisture began to collect in them. "Y-You're… I mean… It's good to see…" Lost for words he stumbled into silence.

"Hi Shinji." The redhead answered him with a gentler smile. "Oof" was the next sound to escape her lips as she was drawn into a tight bear-hug by a suddenly sobbing Third Child.

"IwassoscaredthatyouwerenevergoingtowakeupeventhoughMisatosaid…."

"Shinji!" Asuka gasped, the wind having been knocked out of her. "Calm down… I'm alright! Or at least I _was_ until you decided to crash-tackle me in my hospital bed!"

"Huh?" Shinji said before suddenly leaping away from her. "Sorry! Oh god, I'm _so_ sorry Asuka! I-I didn't hurt you did I? I'm so sorr…"

"Ach! _Please_ stop apologising!" Asuka said with mock ire. "I'm fine! I'm not sure how or why, but I feel fine!"

"I'm glad!" Shinji replied with a sniff. "I was so worried about you! You've been asleep for over a week!"

"_A week_!" Asuka exclaimed, her voice still hoarse. "You mean I've been lying here for a _week_?"

"Well, for the first four days you were in the ICU." Shinji replied. "Doctor Akagi wouldn't let me come see you. After that they brought you here and kept you sedated while the drugs were flushed out of your system. I've been here ever since then."

"So I've been here all alone and unconscious with you this whole time?" Asuka asked in a teasing tone. "You didn't try anything weird with my prone and defenceless body did you, Shinji?"

Shinji looked at her with a confused expression. "_Weird_?" He asked. "What do you mean… Oh…" He suddenly trailed off, his face growing red. "O-Of course not! I would never do…"

The redhead held up her hand . "I was kidding.. Jeez! As if you would do anything like that to me! Well, while I was unconscious anyway!" She reached over and gripped his hand tightly, drawing him closer to her and looking deeply into his eyes, her mouth upturned in a predatory smile. "Of course, seeing that I'm awake now… Well that's a _different_ proposition altogether!"

She had to laugh at the open-mouthed look that Shinji gave her. She quickly pulled him in close to her and kissed him deeply. She couldn't hide how happy she was that he was there, next to her, not trapped inside Unit 01 like she had feared at the end of the battle. This, though, led her to some very important questions.

"So, Shinji." Asuka said after finally breaking their lip-lock. "What the hell happened out there with the Angel? Last thing I can remember is things weren't looking so great for our side."

"Well," Shinji began. "After you…after you were…"

"After I got my ass handed to me by the Angel is what you're trying to say, I think."

"No! It's just that…" He trailed off after the German girl fixed him with a meaningful look. "Well, after _that_… and Rei was unconscious too. Ummm… the Angel, well it breached the fourth defensive barrier and Father released Unit 01 to fight." He swallowed briefly and looked to his orange juice, but noticed that it was empty. "I-I drove it back up into the Geofront, and I-I guess that I beat it." Shinji finished simply.

"Hmmm…" Asuka said. "Don't take this the wrong way, _Shinji-kun_… You suck at story-telling!"

"Huh?"

"I do remember one thing." Asuka answered, "After I was taken out of the entry-plug, I-I saw Unit 01. It was covered with blood! There… there was blood _everywhere_! What the hell happened?"

"I-I guess that I went a little crazy when I saw how badly damaged Unit 02 was." Shinji said almost sheepishly. "I think that maybe I got a little c-carried away."

Asuka flopped back on the hospital bed, suddenly _very_ tired. "_Baka_." She said softly, there was no malice or anger in her tone, only affection. "You need to take more care of yourself. I don't want you rampaging around trying to be the big damn hero and putting yourself in danger, Shinji. You understand me? You're too important to me to take risks like that! What if you hadn't come back?"

The Third Child's face was a study in unfettered joy as he smiled down at her. "Then maybe you understand why I went crazy like I did." He said warmly. "You're th-the most important thing in the world to me, Asuka. If you had been… If you'd gone… I don't know what I would have done!"

"Baka-Shinji." Asuka said with a huge yawn. "I'll _always_ be here, don't you ever forget that!"

Shinji smiled, his eyes welling up again. "Sure, Asuka. I won't forget."

The only reply was a light snore as the exhausted redhead gave in the desire to sleep once more. The Third Child smiled down at her and stroked her hair lightly. Even he could feel the change that had taken place inside of him recently. Asuka had changed too. It wasn't only Shinji that saw it. He still lived with the fear that it would all vanish in an instant. That his happiness would suddenly be ripped from his grasp and there would be nothing that he could do to stop it. But, for once, he felt comfortable enough to enjoy the moment for what it was.

He settled back and made himself comfortable once more in the chair. Within minutes he too was sleeping soundly beside the girl he loved.

* * *

><p>The car trip back to the apartment was a surprisingly calm affair. Sure, the speed limit was treated with the usual amount of disdain, but on the whole Misato kept the violent swerving and tyre-squealing to a sedate minimum. Their guardian seemed to be treating Asuka as if the German girl needed to be wrapped in cotton wool after her extended stay in the NERV infirmary. Asuka smiled to herself as she clutched Shinji's hand tighter. If she didn't know better she'd almost suspect that Misato had been worried about her for the week or so that the redhead had been unconscious.<p>

She broke her gaze from the darkened streetscape of Tokyo-03 that was flashing past the window and looked over at Shinji. The brown haired teen gave her a shy smile and squeezed her hand back. She really was surprised at how good she felt. She guessed that being at the pointy end of the frontiers of biological, military and medical science wasn't such a bad thing all things considered. Doctor Akagi had been quite clear that Asuka had been on a knife edge of survivability after her battle with the 14th Angel. Her synchronisation with Unit 02 during the battle had meant that she was suffering considerable internal injuries and blood-loss by the time she had been placed in the 'Incubator' at NERV infirmary's ICU and pumped full of the latest in accelerated healing drugs.

Not that she could tell, eight days later. Apart from feeling a little weak from the lack of activity she felt fine. More than fine actually. Shinji was right there by her side, not trapped inside Unit-01 for another three weeks like he had been at this point last time. All three Eva Units were locked down for extensive repairs, but she knew that the next Angel attack was weeks away and even though thinking about the 15th Angel still brought her out in a cold sweat, she was determined not to worry about it until closer to that time.

Right then and there, things were good. During wartime all you ever had was the here and now. She was determined to enjoy it.

The Alpine A110 squealed into the parking bay and its three occupants quickly headed for the lifts. Misato was prattling on about 'Welcome Home' parties and a million other trivialities but the two pilots just held hands and said very little on the ride up to their apartment's level.

Once inside the apartment Asuka found herself rapidly guided into one of the chairs at the kitchen table as her two flatmates bustled around her. Within quick succession she found a steaming mug of hot chocolate and a freshly made sandwich on a plate placed in front of her.

Finding her stomach suddenly growling with hunger the redhead set to her modest meal with gusto, demolishing the sandwich in record time before cradling the hot chocolate lovingly in her hands.

It was good to be home.

Home…

She smiled to herself. This little apartment was more of a home to her than anywhere she had ever been in her whole life. It was _good_ to be there. It was a modest epiphany, but an epiphany nonetheless. She gave a small chuckle at the ridiculous track her thoughts were taking.

Misato, now dressed in her standard cut-offs and tank-top, sat down across from her at the table as Shinji pulled up a chair next to her.

"It's good to hear you laugh, Asuka." Misato said. "I know that you might think that I'm just your commanding officer, but you guys are much more than that to me! We're practically family!"

"Family…" Asuka repeated, as if she were trying out the word to see how it felt coming out of her mouth. "I…I think that I'm okay with that."

"I'm glad to hear that." Misato answered. "Although I don't think any of us has much experience of what actually makes a family, but hey, that _doesn't_ matter. We'll just make it up as we go, how about that?"

"I think I'd like that, Misato." Shinji said.

Asuka thought about it for a while and then simply nodded, cradling her mug as if for protection.

"Good." Their guardian continued. "It makes me glad to see you happy, both of you. And I think that I know _why_."

"What… what are you talking about Misato?" Asuka asked. There was something in the woman's tone that made Asuka suddenly uneasy. She looked over at Shinji and saw that he was beginning to blush.

'_Uh-oh_.' Was all that she thought.

"While… While you were in the infirmary, Shinji and I had a talk. Quite a long talk actually." Misato began. The redhead could see that Shinji's blush was growing deeper and suddenly the Third Child seemed to be unable to take his eyes off of the table top.

"Th-that's nice." Asuka answered, her mouth strangely dry. "What was it that you talked about?"

"I think that you know what it was Asuka." Misato replied. "Please don't be angry at Shinji for telling me about what… what the two of you did the night before the battle. I can be pretty persuasive when I want to be. In some ways I knew that it was inevitable… Two teenagers in love under the same roof, sleeping in the same bed… I guess that even though I tried to pretend that it wouldn't happen in a way I'm glad that you've both found strength in each other. I-I guess that it makes me a terrible guardian, having you two sleeping together while under my care…"

"You're not a terrible guardian, Misato!" Shinji interrupted.

"Maybe not," Misato continued. "But you know what? I don't give a fuck! If you two can be happy, even for a short time, what gives me the right to stop you. As if I could anyway! Shinji made that pretty clear during our conversation! I'm glad that he told me. Keeping something like this from each other, it can only poison everything. Secrets… all they do is hurt and damage people. I don't want that to happen to you, to Shinji, to any of us!"

Both of them stared at the redheaded girl. Asuka sat there

"I-I'm sorry, Asuka." Shinji said. "Please don't be angry at me! I was j-just so scared I was going to lose you! I couldn't keep it… I didn't want any more secrets between us! Secrets and lies... those are what Father uses" He said plaintively. "I don't want to be like him."

A heavy silence filled the kitchen.

"Hmmm… Secrets…" Asuka said pensively.

The other two looked at her. Shinji's expression was puzzled and more than a little worried. Misato, on the other hand, had a far more appraising look on her face.

A long and awkward silence filled the apartment. Asuka just looked at her hands as they lay on the table, while her flatmates watched her with worry in their eyes.

"You've been hiding something else from us, both of us, haven't you Kiddo?" The Major said gently. "Something's got you terrified. Something that's been weighing you down for at least a couple of months now."

Asuka's eyes were glued to her hands as her fingers wrung around each other. She could feel her stomach turning in knots.

"Asuka… You can tell _us_." Misato said. "You _know_ that we won't judge you. If… If it's about your past… if it helps I already know a lot of it. You've done nothing wrong, you know that."

"It's _not_ that." Asuka said with a croak. "I… I just can't… You wouldn't believe me."

"Why not?" Shinji said. "Why wouldn't we believe you?"

"Y-You don't know where I've come from… What I've been through to get here. I'm scared that if I told you… you'd think I was insane or something!"

"We've all come from some pretty fucked-up places, Asuka." Misato answered. "If anybody's going to believe you, understand you, it's the two of us!"

The Second Child sat perfectly still in her seat for nearly two minutes. Eventually she stood up, her chair scraping in the linoleum loudly. She looked her two flatmates in the eyes, each in turn, her own eyes red and brimming with moisture.

"Wait here." She said. "I'm gonna take a shower."

Abruptly she turned and walked to the apartment's tiny bathroom. Within a short time the hiss of falling water could be heard as Asuka Langley Soryu took a long and very hot shower. Misato and Shinji sat where they were. The older woman reached over and clutched at Shinji's hand firmly, reassuringly. The teen smiled, though his eyes remained worried. There they sat for nearly twenty minutes before the water was finally turned off. Eventually the bathroom door opened and from the cloud of steam that billowed from it the figure of the Second Child emerged. Glowing from the heat and wearing her red bath-robe.

Purposefully she strode into the kitchen and looked down at her two flatmates. She raised an eyebrow when she saw their hands still clasped but made no mention on it. A broad, but nervous smile formed on her lips.

"Not here." She said.

"Huh?" Shinji replied. Misato just waited for her to elaborate.

"Tomorrow." Asuka said.

"Tomorrow?" Misato and Shinji asked at the same time.

"Tomorrow we're going out." The redhead continued. "I'm sick and tired of doing this alone. Tomorrow… I'm gonna tell you something that will blow your tiny minds!"

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter 14<strong>


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